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I 



ANIMAL MAGNETISM; 



OR 



PSYCODUIAM Y 



THEODORE^EGER. 

DOCTOR OF THE MEDICAL FACULTY OF PARIS ; LATE PROFESSOR OF ANATOMY 

AT THE PRACTICAL SCHOOL | FELLOW OF THE SOCIETY OF SCIENCES 

AND ARTS OF THE DEP. DE LA MARNE J LATE PROFESSOR 

OF THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF MEXICO. ETC. 



" Truth— absolute Truth, shall never die. It is eternal, like the infinitely wise and gracious God. 
Men may disregard it for a time, until the period arrives when its rays, according- to the determi- 
nation of Heaven, shall irresistibly break through the mists of prejudice, and like Aurora, and the 
opening day, shed a beneficent light, clear and inextinguishable, over the generations of meu." 

Rev. Mr. Barrett's Lectures, I. p. 4. 






NEW YORK: 
D. APPLETON & CO., 200 BROADWAY 

PHILADELPHIA: 
G. S. APPLETON, 148 CHESNUT STREET. 

CINCINNATI :-— DERBY, BRADLEY, & COMPANY, 113 MAIN-STREET. 
M DCCC XLVI. 



I 






Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1846, 

By THEODORE LEGER, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 

District of New York. 



I 



t/7f 



9^ 



TO THE MEMORY OF THE 

MOST INDEFATIGABLE DEFENDER OF PSYCODUNAMY 

OF THE MAN, WHO 

TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF SCIENTIFIC ACQUIREMENT, 

UNITED MODESTY AND UNBOUNDED KINDNESS 

OF 

JOSEPH PHILIPPE FRANCOIS DELEUZE, 

THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 

BY HIS ADMIRING AND EVER-GRATEFUL PUPIL, 

T. LEGER. 

M. D. PARISIENSIS. 



I 






I 



HISTORY 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



jTtrst Section. 

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND ACADEMICAL 
HISTORY. 



" Those who at once deny the possibility of the facts of Magnetism, and refuse 
it an investigation, seem to us to reason most illogically : they admit precisely 
that which is questioned ; for to dare to say, 'This is possible, and that is not,' 
implies necessarily the pretension of having been initiated into all the mysteries 
of creation. 

" Therefore, in all cases, before we pronounce, we must examine. And even 
that is insufficient : we must, in our examination, preserve our mind free from 
prejudice." — Report made to the Royal Jlcademy of Medicine, Paris, on the 25tA of 
March, 1838, by Drs. Gueneau and Bousquet. 






( 















I 



INTRODUCTION. 



The subject of "Psycodunamy" or " Animal Magnetism," 
embraces two distinct parts : 1st. The history of the science. 
2d. The rationale of its practice. 

The historical part, which constitutes the matter of the pres- 
ent volume, is, in reference to " Psycodunamy" much more 
important than History in general in regard to any other sci- 
ence ; for in it is involved the question of its very exist- 
ence ; and accordingly, it is in this instance the first point to 
be treated. 

In any historical narrative, the chief requisite is a correct 
statement of facts, in which the pro and con should be fairly 
presented, in order to enable the public to form a just estimate 
of the true merits of the question. I hope that in this particu- 
lar my readers will acknowledge that I have faithfully dis- 
charged the duties of a candid historian ; and if I have advo- 
cated one side of the question, it is because sound criticism, far 
from being opposed to, is, on the contrary, the best ally of Im- 
partiality and Justice. 

The rationale of the Psycodunamic practice is the matter of 
a second volume, the publication of which will shortly follow the 
present. 

The discrimination of those different parts will explain how 
" Psycodunamy" is at once very old and very novel. If, un- 
der that name, we comprehend the whole of the phenomena 
which belong to it, the thing is necessarily as old as the world ; 
for they consist in the manifestation of some peculiar human 
faculties, which are of course as ancient as mankind. But, if 
by the same expression we mean a satisfactory, rational, and 
scientific system, embracing all the phenomena, and accounting 
for them in the way that Chemistry embraces and accounts for 
the different metamorphoses of matter, then indeed the thing is 



i 



8 INTRODUCTION. 



I 



new, and even so new that perhaps it cannot yet be said that it 
does actually exist. 

This remark, however, is applicable not to " Psycodunamy" 
alone, but to the whole " science of life" including Physiology, 
Psychology, Hygiene, and Medicine. Who has not been struck 
at the slowness of the progress, if any, which each of those ele- 
ments of a single science has made, while tj^e so-called " exact 
sciences" have proved long since, and are cfeftl daily proving, so 
fruitful in satisfactory results 1 It cannot be because the " sci- 
ence of life" either is or even appears to be less interesting, less 
important, and has consequently less deserved and less attracted 
the attention of philosophers. History shows that the reverse 
has been the case ; and it was natural that it should be so. For, 
if the " exact sciences" greatly contribute to our comfort, the 
" science of life" the object of which is to cause us to enjoy the 
benefits conferred by the others more fully, and for a longer pe- 
riod, could not have failed to command, at all times, the prece- 
dence. What then can be the cause of this slowness of true 
progress in the acquirement of the most important knowledge 1 
This is undoubtedly well worthy of investigation. 

If we reflect on the nature of the " exact sciences" we find 
that they are all grounded on the study of the different proper- 
ties of mere matter. Their basis consequently is more or less 
easily handled for examination. The objects that they embrace, 
always ready to enter into action under the influence of the phy- 
sico-chemical laws, may be incessantly and indifferently compo- 
sed or decomposed, divided or dissolved, be made to form new 
compounds, be reduced to their elements, or restored to their 
original complexity. 

On the other hand, the principal distinguishing feature of the 
objects which constitute the basis of the " science of life" is 
the impossibility of applying to them, during their limited ex- 
istence under the influence of an unknown agent, any of the 
means of those unerring sources of correct information, Analy- 
sis and Synthesis. 

The philosophers who have studied the phenomena of life 
have generally fallen into either the one or the other of two ex- 
tremes. Some of them, because mathematical evidence is the 
best, became convinced that it was absolutely necessary on all 






INTRODUCTION. 9 

points, and that without it there could be no true science. And 
as it can be obtained in case of matter only, they considered 
matter as every thing. 

Others, on the contrary, perfectly aware that the powers or 
principles of life are entirely hidden from us in our present state 
of being, and are evidently immaterial, lost sight of their inti- 
mate connection with matter, and disregarding the latter entire- 
ly, adopted the frivolous speculations of obscure metaphysics ; — 
in their endeavors to explain realities beyond their reach, they 
grasped at shadows, and involved themselves in error, perplexi- 
ty, and darkness. 

Hence the scanty results to be called sound knowledge in the 
" science of life" and the necessary sequence — slowness of pro- 
gress. 

But does impossibility of material Analysis and Synthesis, 
and want of absolute mathematical evidence, constitute an insu- 
perable barrier between our intelligence and truth 1 Are the 
paths of philosophical inquiry absolutely limited to them ? Will 
not a careful observation of the facts, an attentive investigation 
of the phenomena, enable us to trace their relations to each 
other, and to form an harmonious whole well worthy of the 
name of true science 1 And even granting that in all cases 
where life is concerned, Synthesis, that is to say, the recon- 
struction of the same being, is an impossibility, after death, at 
least, Analysis is practicable ; and thus it is that Anatomy, and 
especially recent researches in organic Chemistry, have enriched 
with precious discoveries our knowledge of those admirable 
faculties which the Deity has conceded to living beings. 

The errors of the Materialists on the one hand, and those of 
the Metaphysicians on the other, must be carefully avoided in 
the inquiry after truth in the " science of life." The abstract 
division of soul and body, instead of affording help in this re- 
search, is only calculated to lead to error ; for soul and 
body are so intimately interwoven and identified, that all the 
phenomena which characterize our present existence, cease 
at once to be possible from the very moment that this di- 
vision takes place. And as Psycodunamy bears precisely on 
that connection between the Psychal principle and matter, it 
proves to be not only an important branch of the " science of 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

life" but even the very key which will unravel many of its 
heretofore unexplained mysteries. But, in its study, we must 
never lose sight of the physico-chemical laws which govern 
matter, since it is in them only that we can find the basis which 
will elevate it from its present deplorable condition to that of 
a true science ; and such is the object w T hich prompted me to 
write. 

Heretofore the relations which connect the Psycodunamic 
phenomena have been obscurely and imperfectly set forth. It 
is natural for the human mind, when it emerges from the dark- 
ness of ignorance into the dazzling light of truth, not to perceive 
at once the proper place and mutual relation of the objects be- 
fore it. Time and future discovery are necessary to teach us 
what facts are misunderstood, misplaced, or misapplied. I 
have tried to remedy that evil, and the reader will judge how 
far I have succeeded. But if it should happen that any thing 
contained herein shall aid in fastening the attention of men of 
science to the fundamental idea which my works are designed to 
impart, the author will have received his reward, and the la- 
bors of twenty-four years will not have been entirely thrown 
away. 



I 



CONTENTS 



FIRST SECTION— ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 











Page. 


Introduction 


. 


7 


CHAPTER L- 


-The Name 


13 


CHAPTER II.- 


— Psycodunamy versus Prejudices . 


17 


CHAPTER III. 


— First Academical Report on Psycodu 






namy in 


1825 . 


. 28 


chapt: 


— Academical Discussion of the Firs 


t 




Report 




49 


§ 


1. — Opinion of Dr. Desgenettes. — Con. 


49 


§ 


2.— " 




' Virey. — Pro. 


50 


$ 


3.— " 




1 Bally. — Con. 


. 50 


$ 


4.— " 




' Orfila. — Pro. 


. 52 


§ 


5.— " 




' Double. — Con. 


53 


§ 


6.— " 




1 Laennec. — Con. 


55 


§ 


7.— « 




' Chardel.— Pro. . 


56 


§ 


8.— " 




' Rochoux. — Con. 


57 


§ 


9.— " 




' Marc. — Pro. 


58 


i 


10.— " 




' Nacquart. — Con. . 


59 


§ 


11.— " 




' Itard. — Pro. 


60 


§ 


12.— " 




1 Recamier. — Con. . 


61 


§ 


13.— " 




1 Georget. — Con. 


63 


* 


14.— " 




' Magendie. — Con. . 


65 


§ 


15.— " 




' Guersent. — Pro. . 


65 


§ 


16.— " 




' Gasc. — Con. 


66 


§ 


17.— " 




' Lerminier. — Pro. . 


67 


CHAPTER V.- 


-Answer of the Committee to the Objec- 






tions made against their Report, and results oi 


r 




the Secret Vo 


ting on the Question . 


68 



12 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VI. — Report upon the Psycodunamic Ex- 
periments by the Committee of the Royal Acade- 
my of Paris— 1831 

CHAPTER VII.— Dr. Berna's Experiments and Report 
on them by M. Dubois d' Amiens — 1837 . 

CHAPTER VIII.— Opinion of Dr. Husson on the Re- 
port of M. Dubois d' Amiens .... 

CHAPTER IX. — Academical Report on the Communi- 
cation of Dr. Pigeaire (of Montpellier) on Psy- 
codunamic Facts, and its Consequences . 



Page. 

98 
170 
179 

200 



SECOND SECTION— GENERAL HISTORY. 
CHAPTER I. — History of Psycodunamy in the Ages of 



Antiquity 




211 


$ 1. — Psycodunamy 


among the Indians and Persians 


212 


* 2.- 


" Egyptians 


213 


» 3.- 


" Hebrews 


217 


$ 4.- 


" Greeks . 


222 


* 5.- 


" Romans . 


230 


$ 6.- 


" Gauls 


236 


CHAPTER II.— Psycod 


unamy through the Middle Ages 





till the days of Mesmer 239 

CHAPTER III.— Mesmer 264 

CHAPTER IV. — Discovery of Psycodunamic Somnam- 
bulism 306 

CHAPTER V. — Psycodunamic Experiments in the Pub- 
lic Hospitals of Paris 330 

CHAPTER VI.— Psycodunamy in England . . .350 

CHAPTER VII.— Psycodunamy in the United States . 366 



t 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY 



PSYCODUNAMY, 



CHAPTER I. 

THE NAME. 



The word Psycodunamy, which I have adopted instead 
of Animal Magnetism, is derived from the Greek " ■^"X^*" 
the soul, and " Swa^is" power. It means, accordingly, 
Power of the soul, or of the intelligent principle of life.X I 7S^ 
have also substituted the verb to dunamise in lieu of to 
magnetize or mesmerize; dunamiser for magnetizer, &c. &c. : 
dropping the first radical, " psyco" by way of abbreviation. 

My reasons for making these changes are the following : 
The old denomination of Animal Magnetism has been 
found improper, and in my opinion with good reason, by 
many persons, who, convinced of the necessity of substi- 
tuting another name for it, have proposed successively 
those of Mental or Animal Electricty, (Dr. Pigeaire, Pete- 
tin, &c. ;) Mesmerism, (Dr. Elliotson, Rev. Hare Town- 
shend, &c. ;) Neurology, (Dr. Buchanan ;) Patketism, (Rev. 
Laroy Sunderland ;) Etherology, (Professor Grimes, &c.) 

But none of these are better, and some are worse than 
the old names : 

1 . Mental or Animal Electricity is liable to the same ob- 
jection made to Animal Magnetism ; not only because it is 
now proved that the magnetic and the electric fluid are 
identically the same ; but because such a name refers the 

2 



14 PSYCODUNAMY. 

production of the phenomena to a fluid, the existence of 
which is still questioned, for it has not been, and perhaps 
cannot be, materially demonstrated. Is it, therefore, advi- 
sable to build an edifice on questionable ground ? 

2. Mesmerism, of all the names proposed, is decidedly 
the most improper ; for, in the first place, no true science* 
has ever been designated by the name of a man, whatever 
be the claims he could urge in his favor ; and secondly, 
what are the claims of Mesmer to such an honor ? He is 
not the inventor of the practical part of the science, since 
we can trace the practice of it through the most remote 
ages ; and in that respect, the part which he introduced 
has been completely abandoned. He proposed for it a 
theory which was not exactly his own, which is now ex- 
ploded, and which, on account of its errors, has been fatal 
to our progress. He never spoke of the phenomena which 
have rehabilitated our cause among scientific men ; and 
since nothing remains to be attributed to Mesmer, either in 
the practice and theory, or the discoveries that constitute 
our science, why should it be called Mesmerism 1 

3. Neurology has always been the name of that part of 
anatomy which treats of the nerves and describes them. 
To apply it to our science is a usurpation calculated to 
induce error, and that nothing can justify. 

4. Pathetism is a name, to say the least, too indefinite. 
Its Greek radical, " tfa$o£," which means disease or suffer- 
ing, appears to me to convey a very different idea from 
that which it is intended to represent. 

5. Etherology means a treatise on the most refined part 
of the air, according to its Latino-Greek etymology ; con- 
sequently it affords no meaning connected with our sub- 
ject. 

* Galvanism is nothing but " Electricity," and is entirely replaced 
by the latter expression in modern treatises of natural philosophy. 






ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 15 

There are in the science data so incontestable as to be 
conceded by our most hostile opponents. Is it not prefer- 
able, then, instead of resorting to more or less disputable 
hypotheses, to find in those data a name less liable to 
criticism ? 

The word Psycodunamy defines, as exactly as possible, 
the power that man possesses of materially acting upon 
man, independently of touch. It signifies the influence of 
mind upon the organization, without prejudging or pretend- 
ing to unravel the secret means of nature to effect the ac- 
tion, — let it be through the agency of a fluid more or less 
analogous to electricity — let it be through the undulations 
of a particular medium — let it be through sympathy — 
through the imagination — or even through a combination 
more or less complicated of those different ways — the 
name in itself designates only that special faculty of the 
living man, which the u , commissioners of 1784 have been 
themselves compelled to acknowledge ; and to prove it, I 
will quote here the very words in which they summed up 
their report : 

" That which we learned, or at least ascertained in a 
clear and satisfactory manner, by our examination of the 
phenomena of Magnetism, is, that ' man can act upon man 1 
at all times, and almost at will, by striking his imagination ; 
that signs and gestures the most simple, are then sufficient 
to produce the most powerful effects ; that this action of 
man upon his fellow may be reduced to an art, and suc- 
cessfully conducted after a certain method, when exer- 
cised upon patients who have faith in the proceedings." 

This passage of a report, which has been considered 
by many as a death-blow to our cause, shows, nevertheless, 
that the commissioners of 1784 did admit, in terms the 
most explicit, the powerful influence of man upon man, 
and even its successful results w T hen conducted with 
method. Therefore, if instead of having been called 



16 PSYCODUNAMY. 

"Animal Magnetism" with reference to the supposed 
cause of the phenomena, the science had received a name 
which would have meant only the vital power of acting 
on our fellows, as Psycodunamy does, that same report, 
far from being unfavorable, would have decidedly confirm- 
ed the sole important point, viz : " the production of very 
remarkable and beneficial organic phenomena, in some known 
circumstances, where man is the agent." It is only respecting 
the theoretical and primary cause of those phenomena that 
Mesmer and the commissioners were at variance, the one 
asserting that it is a fluid, the others that it is imagination. 
But, does the faculty of creating the phenomena exist 
more or less by being referred to the imagination or to a 
fluid ? and, be it as it may, are the phenomena themselves 
less momentous and less true in any case ? 

The mania of hastily building up a theory,, which has 
been at all times so fatal to the progress of the sciences 
in general, and especially of medicine, exerted here again 
its baneful influence. " Animal Magnetism" on account 
of its theoretical name, has been declared a chimera, while 
Psycodunamy would have been welcomed as an important 
truth. And this was unavoidable ; for so long as man, 
when studying nature, instead of a careful and attentive 
observation of facts, will resort to hypotheses about pri- 
mary causes, he will necessarily lose himself in useless 
and erroneous speculations, and call on them the just cen- 
sure of more reflective minds. In his endeavors to lift up a 
corner of the veil that covers the mysteries of creation, it 
is folly in man to pretend to ascertain the essence of pri- 
mary causes. In vain would he to-day pursue that which 
escaped his yesterday's researches ; for before the un- 
fathomable wisdom of Him from whom primary causes 
emanate, all the pretensions and vanity of our philosophers 
sink under admiration and respect. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 17 



CHAPTER II. 

PSYCODUNAMY VS. PREJUDICES. 

To expose all the errors and prejudices of mankind, 
would be to write the complete history of the whole world. 
Religion, politics, law, morals, education, literature, arts, 
sciences, and among the latter, medicine, in particular, 
have always been, and still are, fraught with so many er- 
rors and prejudices, that the true and enlightened philan- 
thropist cannot but wonder, in deep sorrow, how little, in 
that respect, experience has taught the human family. It 
would indeed be a task much more difficult to perform 
than the far-famed labors of Hercules, to unmask all the 
hypocrites, politicasters, pettifoggers, sophists, pedants, 
poetasters, quacks, and charlatans of every description, 
that are everywhere encumbering our path; and more- 
over, in confining myself to the narrow circle that I am 
about to enter, I shall encounter opposition enough with- 
out arraying against me an innumerable, intolerant, and 
unrelenting army, which would mercilessly have crushed 
me into atoms before I could find one ear willing to listen 
to my reasons. 

However, there exist many timorous persons, who, with- 
out examination, recede from any thing that is pointed out 
to them as possessing even the remotest affinity to impious 
doctrines. It is important to cure them of their scruples, 
by demonstrating that the psycodunamic principles and 
practice are the very reverse of that which they have 
been represented to them. 

It is against Christian faith to believe that evil spirits 
are operating works of charity ; and since Psycodunamy 

2* 



18 PSYCODUNAMY. 

has no other end but the relief of sufferers, does it not 
evidently proceed from God, and not from Satan 1 Psyco- 
dunamic practice, founded on benevolence and compas- 
sion, bears thus the very sign which, according to Saint 
Augustin, characterizes the sons of God, and distinguishes 
them from the sons of the spirit of darkness. 

Far from militating against religion, Psycodunamy dis- 
poses to cherish it, to respect its forms, and to follow its 
precepts. Many eminent men have been recalled from 
materialism to Christian faith by the practice of this sci- 
ence. It is certain that prayer renders the psycodunamic 
action more powerful, for it elevates man above earthly 
interests, it excites his charity, it strengthens his confi- 
dence, and, giving him the hope of being blessed by the 
Deity, preserves him in the path of righteousness. 

It is no less important to remark, that the study of 
Psycodunamy not only disposes the mind to adopt reli- 
gious principles, but that it tends also to free us from 
the errors of superstition, by reducing to natural causes 
many phenomena which in the dark ages were attributed 
to Satan. 

It has been said that the psycodunamic cures may in- 
duce some persons to deny the miracles of Christ and 
of his apostles. But has such an argument been se- 
riously brought forward ? Do not the miracles, as re- 
lated in the gospel, by their instantaneousness, and the 
different circumstances which accompanied them, carry 
along, forcibly, the evidence of the divine power ? Un- 
believers may deny them, but those who admit them will 
never try to refer them to natural causes. Did ever any 
fanatical partisan of Psycodunamy pretend that he could 
instantly cure a person born blind, restore corpses to life, 
command the tempest, &c. ? 

I have seen many somnambulists, and I have not found 
one who does not bear precisely the same testimony to 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 19 

the truths revealed to them in that state, viz : The exist- 
ence, the omnipotence, the bounty of the Creator; the 
immortality of the soul ; the certainty of another life ; 
the recompense of the good, and the punishment of the 
evil, which we have done in this ; the necessity and 
efficacy of prayer ; the pre-eminence of charity over 
the other virtues : to which is joined the consoling idea 
that those who have preceded us on earth, and mer- 
ited the enjoyment of eternal happiness, hear our wishes, 
take an interest in us, and may be our intercessors be- 
fore God ; the profound conviction that God never refuses 
to enlighten us in what we ought to know, when, submissive 
to his will, we ask aid of him ; the firm persuasion of the 
utility of worship, which, by uniting men to render homage 
to God, prescribes rules and practice to all, by which they 
pray in concert to obtain the blessings of Heaven. Can 
such precepts be dictated by the evil one ? 

When the Pharisees and the Gentiles reproached Jesus 
Christ, the divine model of all perfections, with performing 
his prodigies by the arts and enchantments of the Egyp- 
tians, and the power of Beelzebub, he replied in those re- 
markable words : " Every kingdom divided against itself 
is brought to desolation ; and every city or house divided 
against itself, shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, 
he is divided against himself ; how shall then his king- 
dom stand ? And if I, by Beelzebub, cast out devils, by 
whom do your children cast them out ? therefore they shall 
be your judges." (St. Matt. xii. 25-27.) 

"We read in St. Matthew, xii., in St. Mark, iii., in St. 
Luke, vi.,that the Doctors and the Pharisees watched Je- 
sus whether he would heal patients on the Sabbath-day, 
that they might accuse him. And he said to them : " Is 
it lawful to do good on the sabbath-days ?" Thus, he 
considered the act of healing a patient a good deed ; 
and hence it would evidently be against the spirit of the 



20 PSYCODUNAMY. 

gospel to condemn the psycodunamic practice, since it is 
used as a means of relieving and curing the diseased. 

I could have drawn from the gospel many more proofs 
that Psycodunamy is no Satanic agency, but the foregoing 
instances appear to me sufficiently conclusive. 

The objections which I have just confuted, can arise 
only from want of correct information. But, are per- 
sons eminent in learning and science more free from preju- 
dices ? 

It is asserted, that diffusion of knowledge is one of the 
best means of rooting out the germs of errors, revolutions, 
fanaticism, and intolerance. But, if J. J. Rousseau, who 
was at first systematically opposed to physicians in gene- 
ral, was right in changing his opinion— if it is true, as he 
asserts, that in all countries, and at all times, it is among 
the members of the medical profession that the greatest 
amount of scientific acquirement and learning is to be 
found, the spirit of intolerance and blind fanaticism in fa- 
vor of erroneous theories, that has stamped each of the 
continual revolutions of their science, is rather a sad illus- 
tration of the alleged results of knowledge. However, it 
is among physicians that we find, at the present day, 
the most numerous, and most violent opponents of Psyco- 
dunamy. They cavil particularly at the unsoundness and 
uncertainty of our theory. But, in doing so, do they not 
fairly resemble the man who sees the mote in the eye of 
his neighbor without noticing the beam in his own % 

To elucidate such a question, let us cast a rapid glance 
at the history of medical science. Let us mention only 
the most important of the successive theories that have 
ruled her dominion — for, to notice all of them would re- 
quire the combined patience of all the saints of the calen- 
dar — and then we shall be able to judge how well it be- 
comes physicians to reproach us with errors. 

For nearly fifteen centuries the works of Galen made 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 21 

law in medicine. During that long period not one dared 
to doubt the word of the master ; his theories were held 
sacred. Still, Galen, ignorant of anatomy, describes in 
the human body organs and humors which are not to be 
found there ; and to the disordered action of those sup- 
posed humors and organs, he alleges the causes of dis- 



Why such gross errors should have lasted so long, 
among men who boast of their wisdom and knowledge, is 
a matter of no small wonder : but, if any one should sup- 
pose that the light of truth eventually shone upon phy- 
sicians, and pointed out to them a better path — if any one 
should believe that experience came, at length, to unde- 
ceive them, and teach a theory more correct, more ration- 
al, and founded on the accurate observation of facts, he 
would be egregiously mistaken. It was to pass from error 
to folly, that they abandoned Galenism. It was to adopt 
with enthusiasm the mad reveries of Paracelsus, who pre- 
tended to have discovered the philosopher's stone, and to 
keep it on the hilt of his dagger. But, as nations which 
have just cast off the yoke of an ancient and degrading 
tyranny remain wavering, and fearful of conceding too 
great or too lasting a power to the chiefs that lead them, 
so physicians raised successively to the worm-eaten throne 
of Galen a crowd of rulers, without allowing them to 
enjoy long the medical sceptre. Paracelsus, who, thanks 
to his wonderful arcana, was to conquer death, died, never- 
theless, in the prime of life ; and his fame, secrets, and 
glory, are buried with him in the sad night of contempt 
and oblivion. 

Sylvius, taking advantage of the ardor with which 
chemistry was studied, explained by its laws all the phe- 
nomena of life. According to his theory, our organs are 
nothing but alembics and crucibles, where humors are dis- 
tilled, concocted, and undergo a process of fermentation, 



22 PSYCODUNAMY. 

which gives rise to health or disease, agreeably to its de- 
gree of activity or slowness, perfection or imperfection. 
Physicians did not fail to embrace the new system laid 
out by a man of genius, and the dhemico-medical school 
obtained a celebrity which the dreadful consequences of the 
application of the principles to the practice were not able 
to check ; for, as we have said before, experience, with 
physicians, when its results are at variance with favorite 
theoretical views, has always been disregarded. 

But soon a rival sect made its appearance, and finally 
overthrew the Sylvian theories. Like the preceding 
school, it was in the sciences accessory to medicine that 
its principles originated. Natural Philosophy was the 
basis, and the laws of mechanics accounted for all the 
laws of life. Physicians saw then in the human body 
nothing but wheels, levers, ropes, and pulleys, the en- 
tanglement of which explained all diseases. Frederick 
Hoffman and Herman Boerhaave were not the founders of 
this school, but they caused it to shine with unprecedented 
splendor ; and it may be said of them, for the sake of 
truth, that, less fanatical in their practice than the follow- 
ers of Sylvius, they knew how to depart wisely from 
mere theoretical views whenever the case required it ; but, 
again, for the sake of truth it must be also acknowledged, 
that no physician can read to-day the theories of Boerhaave 
and Hoffman without a smile of wonder and pity, — although 
these very theories alone gave them, in their days, their 
high fame and renown. 

Stahl, struck with the importance of the principle of 
life in the production of the phenomena that characterize 
it — a principle which the theories of the two preceding 
schools had utterly disregarded, created a new medical 
system, in which the state of the soul accounts for all 
physical disorders. Fever, according to his ideas, is the 
result of the struggle of the soul to expel from the human 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 23 

body the causes of disease. To follow him in all his 
metaphysical explications requires a very uncommon de- 
gree of acuteness, perspicacity, and patience : still, phy- 
sicians, with an incredible ardor, espoused his theories, 
and lost themselves in the wild dreams of fancy and ab- 
struse hypotheses. 

To Stahl succeeded Cullen. This Professor sees in a 
local or general weakness of our organs or humors, the 
cause of all maladies. Docile to the voice of a new 
master, physicians descended from the high regions of 
metaphysics to behold on earth nothing but prostration 
and debility. 

Then appeared the famous Brown. According to him, 
all our ailments are either " Sthenick," or " Asthenick :" 
" Sthenick" when proceeding from an increase of the natu- 
ral activity of our organs, and " Asthenick" when due to a 
decrease of that natural activity. The adepts of this 
school pretended that their master had at length establish- 
ed medical science on a firm and immutable basis ; and, 
lavishing on past theories the most bitter sarcasms, they 
claimed for themselves, and relied confidently on, the 
unqualified approval of ages to come : yet, before twenty 
years had passed, hardly one physician out of a hundred 
could tell in what consisted the system of the Scotch 
professor. 

Brownism had already faded when Pinel wrote his 
" Nosographie Philosophique." New nomenclatures, new 
classifications in chemistry and botany, were at that time 
the order of the day. Medicine was of course to submit 
to the yoke of fashion. The new names, and the new 
views of the French Novator, were unreservedly adopted, 
and, accordingly, when a physician was called to attend 
a patient, he thought that he had performed his whole 
duty when he had ascertained and pronounced, as a botan- 
ist does with a flower, or a chemist with a salt, to what 



24 PSYCODTJNAMY. 

class, family, genus, and variety, the disease under his ex- 
amination belonged. The relief of the sufferer, if not en- 
tirely out of the question, was deemed at least of so sec- 
ondary an importance, that " Hippocratic Medicine," as 
the followers of Pinel used to style his system, was mere- 
ly, according to its detractors, " the art of seeing patients 
die." 

Broussais, however, indignant at the insignificance to 
which Pinel had reduced the physician's part, vigorously 
attacked and pulled down, with great eclat, the already 
vacillating and tottering edifice, so laboriously built by his 
predecessor. Broussais began to teach Physiological 
Medicine, and to demonstrate how inflammation, either 
acute or chronic, was the sole cause of all our ailments, 
and that consequently the sole object of attention, in all 
cases, was to subdue and overcome the aforesaid inflam- 
mation, not only by the lowest possible diet, but by the 
repeated application of scores of leeches, no matter how 
weak the patient might be. Crowds of physicians flocked 
round to hear the thundering eloquence of the new Pro- 
fessor ; at no time was the zeal of new adepts more fer- 
vent, at no time was the practice more murderous : and it 
may be said, without exaggeration, that Napoleon, in his 
days of glory, spilled less blood, and killed fewer men to 
conquer Europe, than the disciples of Broussais in their 
attempts to conquer diseases, both in private practice and 
public hospitals. 

In the mean while, from behind the mountains of Saxony 
rose a new star to enlighten, in its turn, the medical 
world. Hahneman reveals Homeopathy to the admiring 
physicians, and they abandon Broussais to applaud with 
eagerness the framer of another doctrine. " Similia si~ 
milibus curantur" becomes their motto, and they learn how 
disorders disappear under the influence of small doses of 
remedies which cause in the human body symptoms simi- 






ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 25 

lar to those exhibited during the disease. The Allopath- 
ists illustrate this system by saying that it amounts to pre- 
cisely this : " If you are drunk with brandy, you will sober 
yourself by taking a little drop more." 

But already the Homeopathic star grows pale. Hy- 
dropathy is now in the field, and people are taught by 
Vincent Priessnitz, of Graefenberg, how to get rid of their 
bodily infirmities by drowning the outward and the inward 
man in cold water. Success to them ! 

If we direct our attention to the various remedies that 
have been in vogue — if we enter into the " sanctum sanc- 
torum" of the " Materia Medica," we shall perceive that 
from the smallest animalcule up to the whale — from the 
imperceptible moss that creeps over the barren rock, up to 
the oak, proud colossus of our forests — from mire to gold, 
there is no substance in the three natural kingdoms that 
has not been praised as a specific — there is nothing, how- 
ever absurd, disgusting, or even poisonous, that has not 
been enthusiastically recommended by some physician. 

And now, gentlemen of the medical garb, you who are 
so fond of bestowing upon us the most injurious epithets — 
you, who call Psycodunamy absurd charlatanism — you, 
who indulge so profusely in expressions of contempt when 
speaking of Dunamisers or believers in our doctrine, 
styling them ignorant, credulous, and fanatical — what could 
we not justly say of you and yours, if we were fond of 
retaliating? Is not this brief historical sketch of your 
science true in every respect 1 Do we not constantly find 
error succeeding error, each time adopted, by you, with 
the same enthusiasm, the same blindness, the same spirit 
of intolerance towards the opinions of those who refused 
to worship the idol of the day ? Is not that a " beam" — a 
" sad beam" in your eyes, gentlemen ? 

The only thing you can say for yourselves, is that in 
this expos!, I have not mentioned the most important 

3 



26 PSYCODUNAMY. 

school ; the one to which, of course, you will pretend to 
belong — I mean the " Eclectic School" But stop here, 
gentlemen ; the " Eclectic School" is no more yours than 
ours. Perhaps I ought to say it is exclusively ours ; for, 
what are the fundamental principles admitted by its dis- 
ciples ? 

They profess to seek for truth among the wrecks of past 
doctrines, separating carefully the wheat from the chaff, 
and preserving only what is of a decidedly practical use- 
fulness — and so do we. They adhere to facts, observing 
and describing them attentively without any regard to 
theoretical views — and so do we. They consider experi- 
ence as every thing in science in general, and in medicine 
in particular, and avoid speculative theories, not only as 
useless, but even as dangerous, since they are liable to 
mislead in the impartial examination and record of facts— 
and so do we. They know that a single weil-authentica 
ted fact, however ridiculous it may appear at first sight, 
and however at variance with admitted opinions, is enough, 
nevertheless, to overthrow the most scientific edifice — and 
so do we. They never forget that scientific bodies once 
denounced the system of Galileo, as absurd and impious ; 
the falling of Aerolithes, as an impossibility ; the steam- 
boat of Fulton, a folly ; the existence of the American 
continent, a visionary dream, &c. — neither do we forget 
these facts. 

But, gentlemen, if you persist in your pretensions to 
" Eclecticism" let me ask if you practise the principles of 
this school in regard to Psycodunamy ? Do you consult 
experience ? Do you investigate facts with candor ? On 
the contrary, because investigation is laborious, and mili- 
tates against your received notions, do you not take refuge 
in a flat denial, in order to free yourselves from the respon- 
sibility of inquiry, or to escape the vexation of having your 
preconceived opinions disturbed or annihilated ? 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 27 

Finally, the greater number of the most eminent physi- 
cians of this school, not only in France but all over Eu- 
rope, have openly and publicly declared themselves in 
favor of our doctrine, and consequently belong to us. 

In proof of this assertion I will, in the following chap- 
ters, relate facts which, although they were recorded in 
the valuable book of Dr. Foissac more than twelve years 
ago, are not sufficiently known in this country — facts of 
which any physician, " Eclectic or not" is hardly excusa- 
ble for remaining in ignorance. 






28 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER III. 

FIRST ACADEMICAL REPORT ON PSYCODUNAMY, IN 1825. 

As far back as the 11th of October, 1825, Dr. Foissac, 
of the Medical Faculty of Paris, wrote the following let- 
ter to the members of the Royal Academy of Medicine. 

" Gentlemen : — You are all acquainted with the report 
made forty years ago, on ' Animal Magnetism,' 1 by the com- 
missioners chosen from the Royal Society of Medicine. 
That report was unfavorable ; but one of the members, M. 
de Jussieu, refused to sign it, and drew up a counter report. 
Since that time, in spite of the opprobrium that was cast 
upon it, ' Animal Magnetism 1 has been the subject of many 
inquiries and laborious investigations. Lately, some mem- 
bers of the actual Academy of Medicine made it the ob- 
ject of their special studies, and the result of their ex- 
periments is such, as to cause a general desire for further 
trials and observations, conducted with the same spirit of 
prudence and impartiality. 

" Should the Royal Academy, which with so laudable a 
perseverance devote their time to any thing calculated to 
promote science in general, and particularly to relieve the 
sufferings of mankind, deem proper to investigate the mat- 
ter again, I have the honor to inform them that I have now 
an opportunity of showing them a somnambulist, with 
whom I am willing to try such experiments as they may 
direct. 

"I am, very respectfully, &c. 

"Foissac, M. D." 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 29 

After the reading of this letter, Dr. Marc insisted on the 
necessity of proceeding to a close examination of Animal 
Magnetism, in^rder to ascertain and proclaim its impor- 
tance or worthlessness. " It is so much the more proper," 
said he, " as Magnetism is now chiefly in the hands of 
persons ignorant of medicine, and who make of it an un- 
lawful means of speculation." He proposed, accordingly, 
to appoint a committee whose duty it should be to make a 
special report on the subject to the Academy. 

Dr. Renauldin opposed the proposition of Dr. Marc, and 
exclaimed : " Don't let us devote our time to stupidities ; 
Animal Magnetism is dead and buried long ago, and it 
does not become the Royal Academy to take it out of its 
grave !" 

This sally having excited reclamations in the assembly, 
the annual President, Dr. Double, made the remark, that as 
the Academy was not prepared for the proposition made to 
them, it would perhaps be more a. propos to appoint a com- 
mittee that should examine if it would or would not be- 
come the Royal Academy to pay attention to Animal Mag- 
netism. 

This proposition was adopted by an immense majority, 
and the President appointed Messrs. Adelon, Pariset, 
Marc, Husson, and Burdin, senior, to be members of this 
committee. Dr. Renauldin was at first designated as 
one of the members of the committee, but he indignantly 
refused to act, protesting against the impropriety of the 
measure. 

On the 13th of December, 1825, the committee made 
the following report to the Royal Academy of Medicine, 
through Dr. Husson, a reporter, who by his talents, up- 
rightness, zeal, and acuteness of observation, made him- 
self conspicuous twenty-five years before, when the study 
and naturalization of vaccination in France was the ques- 
tion of the day : — 

»3* 



30 PSYCODUNAMY. 

" Gentlemen :■ — At your session of the 11th of Octobei 
last you deputed a committee, composed of Messrs. Marc, 
Adelon, Pariset, Burdin, and myself, to report to you on the 
subject of a letter, which M. Foissac, M. D., of the Fac- 
ulty of Paris, had addressed to the department with the 
view of inducing them to repeat the experiments made in 
1784 on Animal Magnetism, and placing at their disposal, 
in the event of their complying with his request, a somnam- 
bulist, to aid the researches upon which certain commis- 
sioners chosen from among you should think proper to enter. 

" Before coming to a decision on the object of this let- 
ter, you desired such information as might establish the 
propriety, or impropriety, of the Academy's submitting to 
a new investigation a scientific question which was ad- 
judged and reprobated forty years ago by the Royal Acad- 
emy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the 
Faculty of Medicine, and which has subsequently furnish- 
ed matter for ridicule, and been at length abandoned, or 
rather thrown up by many of its advocates. 

" In order to qualify the Academy for pronouncing judg- 
ment in this case, the committee have thought it their duty 
to compare all the information they could obtain in refer- 
ence to the experiments made by order of the king, in 
1784, with the most recent publications on Magnetism, 
and with the experiments of which several of its members, 
together with several of you have been witnesses. They 
have, in the first place, established as matter of fact, that 
although modern works should be but a repetition of those 
which received sentence from the learned bodies invested 
with the royal confidence in 1784, a new investigation 
might still be of use, since, on the subject of Animal Mag- 
netism, as on all which are submitted to the judgments of 
t frail humanity, we are allowed to appeal from the decisions 

of our predecessors, and demand a fresh and more rigor- 
ous scrutiny. 

- 



■ 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 31 

" Alas ! what science has been more subject than medi- 
cine to these variations, which have so frequently reversed 
its doctrines ! We cannot glance at the annals of our 
art, without being struck, not only by the diversity of the 
opinions which have prevailed within its province, but, 
still more, by the weakness of the positions which were 
regarded as unassailable at the time of their being taken 
up, and which subsequent decisions have completely al- 
tered. Thus it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that we 
ourselves can remember when the circulation of the blood 
was declared to be impossible ; inoculation for the small- 
pox considered as a crime ; and those enormous periwigs, 
under which many of our heads have sweat, proclaimed as 
infinitely more healthful than the natural hair : and yet it 
has been well ascertained and admitted, since, that the 
blood does circulate ; we hear of no lawsuits against 
those who practise inoculation, and we are all thoroughly 
convinced of the possibility of enjoying very good health, 
without burdening our heads with the grotesque encum- 
brance which engrosses at least a third of the surface of 
the portraits that remain to us of the old masters. 

" Passing from mere opinions to judicial sentences, who 
has yet forgotten the proscription issued against every 
preparation of antimony, at the instance of the famous 
Dean Guy Patin ? Who 'does not remember, that a decree 
of parliament, brought about by the Medical Faculty of 
Paris, prohibited the use of the emetic, and that some 
years afterwards, Louis XIV., having fallen sick and been 
restored to health by this medicine, the act of parliament 
was repealed in consequence of a decision on the part of 
this very Faculty, and the emetic reinstated in the rank it 
now holds in the Materia Medica ? Lastly, did not this 
same parliament, in 1763, prohibit the practice of inocu- 
lation for the small-pox in the cities and suburbs within 
its jurisdiction ? And, eleven years afterwards, in 1774, 



32 PSYCODUNAMY. 

at the distance of four leagues from the place of its sittings 
were not Louis XVI., and his two brothers, Louis XVI11 
and Charles X., inoculated at Versailles, within the juris- 
diction of the parliament of Paris ? 

" You see then, gentlemen, that the principle deduced 
from the authority by which judgment is pronounced in a 
different sphere from ours, however worthy of respect, 
may be abrogated ; and consequently, that when a fresh 
investigation of Magnetism is proposed, your solicitude in 
behalf of science ought not to be fettered by a judgment 
already passed, admitting even that, as in the two instan- 
ces just alluded to, the objects to be judged of were iden- 
tically the same as those on which a committee of inquiry 
had before decided. 

" But Magnetism is now presented to your investigation 
under a different aspect from that which it wore when its 
merits were settled by those learned bodies ; and, without 
inquiring by what amount of impartial examination of facts 
their sentence was preceded, or if they conducted this ex- 
amination conformably with the principles of wise and en- 
lightened observation, the committee leave it to you, gen- 
tlemen, to decide whether we ought to place exclusive and 
irrevocable confidence in the conclusions contained in a 
report in which we read the following singular notice, or 
strange development of the plan of operation which the 
commissioners intend to adopt : 

" ' The distinguished patients who come to be treated for 
their health, say the royal commissioners, might find it 
irksome to be questioned : observation might induce a feel- 
ing of restraint, or displease them ; and the commissioners 
themselves would be deterred by a sense of propriety. 
They have therefore resolved, that, as their constant at- 
tendance was not essential to this mode of treatment, 
nothing further was required than that some of them should 
come occasionally, for the purpose of confirming the first 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 33 

general observations, make new ones, should the opportu- 
nity present itself, and give an account of them to the as- 
sembled commission.' (V. Bailly's report, in 4to., p. 8.) 

" It was thus established as a principle, that in the inves- 
tigation of so important a matter, the commissioners would 
ask no questions of the persons to be experimented on ; 
that they would take no care to watch them ; that they 
would not be constant in their attendance at the meetings 
held for the purpose of making the experiments ; that 
they would go thither, from time to time, and report what 
they had individually seen to the assembled commission. 
Your«committee, gentlemen, cannot help confessing that 
experiments are not thus conducted at the present day ; 
that new facts are elicited and observed, and that, how- 
ever great the lustre which the reputation of Franklin, 
Bailly, Darcet, and Lavoisier reflects on a generation be- 
yond their own, in spite of the respect in which their 
memory is enshrined, and the general assent accorded to 
their report for forty years, it is certain that the judgment 
they passed has error for its very basis, by reason of their 
superficial mode of studying the subject they were called 
upon to investigate. 

" And if we follow them into the presence of those they 
magnetized, or caused to be magnetized, particularly the 
commissioners of the Royal Society of Medicine, we see 
them exhibiting any thing but courtesy ; we see them, in 
spite of all remonstrances, making attempts and trying ex- 
periments in which they omit the moral conditions re- 
quired, and announced as indispensable to success ; we 
see, in short, one of the latter gentlemen who has been 
the most constant eyewitness of the experiments, and with 
whose honesty, candor, and precision we are all acquaint- 
ed, we see M. de Jussieu withdraw from his colleagues, 
and publish an individual and counter report, which 
he concludes by declaring, ' that the experiments he has 



34 PSYCODUNAMY. 

made and witnessed, prove that man produces a sensible 
action on his fellow by friction, contact, and sometimes, 
although more rarely, by mere approach from some dis- 
tance ; that this action, attributed to a universal fluid, the 
nature of which is not understood, seems to him to be analo- 
gous to the animal heat existing in bodies ; that this heat 
emanates from them continually, extends its influence to a 
considerable distance, and may pass from one body into 
another ; that it is elicited, increased, or diminished in a 
body, by moral as well as physical causes ; that, judged 
of by its effects, it participates of the property of tonic 
remedies, and, like them, produces salutary or injurious 
effects, according to the quantity of heat communicated, 
and the circumstances under which it is employed ; in a 
word, that a more extended and considerate use of this 
agent will give a clearer insight into its real action and 
amount of usefulness.' (See p. 50.) 

" Such being your position, gentlemen, which of these 
two reports ought to terminate your indecision 1 That in 
which it is announced that the patients will not be ques- 
tioned — that there is no necessity for closely watching 
them — that it is impossible to be regular in attendance at 
the experiments ; or that of an industrious, attentive, scru- 
pulous, and exact man, who has the courage to withdraw 
from his colleagues — to despise the ridicule which he is 
certain of drawing upon himself — to set at naught the in- 
fluence of power, and publish an individual report, dia- 
metrically opposite in its conclusions to that of the other 
commissioners ? Your committee were not appointed for 
the purpose of expressing their sentiments on this point, 
but they find in this contrariety of opinion an additional 
motive for taking into consideration the proposition of M. 
Foissac. 

" Here, then, gentlemen, are already two reasons for 
submitting Magnetism to a new investigation; one of 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 35 

which, you are aware, is founded on this truth, that any 
decision whatever in relation to science, is but a transitory 
thing ; the other, that the commissioners appointed by the 
king to inquire into the merits of Animal Magnetism, did 
not, it seems to us, scrupulously obey the mandate, and 
that one of their number drew up a counter report. Let 
us next see whether we cannot find a third, in the dif- 
ference which exists between the Magnetism of 1784, and 
that upon which an attempt is now made to fix the atten- 
tion of the Academy. 

" It is not our province to enter into details upon the 
history of this discovery ; upon the manner in which it 
was hailed in Germany and France ; we have only to 
make good the assertion that the theory, the processes, 
and results which were condemned in 1784, are not the 
same as those which modern magnetizers announce to us, 
and of which they court your examination. In the first 
place, the theory of Mesmer, faithfully laid down by the 
commissioners, and copied by them from the text in his 
first work, is as follows : 

" ' Animal Magnetism is a fluid universally diffused. It 
is the medium of a mutual influence between the celestial 
bodies, the earth, and animated bodies. Its continuity is 
such as to suffer no void. Its subtilty admits of no com- 
parison. It is capable of receiving, propagating, and com- 
municating all the impressions of motion. It is suscepti- 
ble of flux and reflux. The animal body feels the effects 
of this agent, and it is by insinuating itself into the sub- 
stance of the nerves that it instantaneously affects them. 
The human body, in particular, exhibits qualities which 
may be recognised as analogous to those of the loadstone ; 
different and opposite poles may be distinguished in both. 
The action and virtue of Animal Magnetism may be com- 
municated by one body to other bodies, animate and inani- 
mate ; its action takes place at a great distance, without 



36 PSYCODUNAMY. 

the aid of any intermediate body ; it is augmented, re- 
flected by glasses, communicated, propagated, and in- 
creased by sound ; and its virtue may be accumulated, 
concentrated, and transported. Although this fluid is uni- 
versal, all animated bodies are not equally susceptible of 
it. There are even some, although very few, which are 
possessed of so opposite a property, that their mere pres- 
ence destroys all the effect of this fluid on other bodies. 

" ' Animal Magnetism cures nervous disorders directly, 
and others indirectly ; it perfects the operation of medi- 
cine ; it brings on and directs salutary crises in a manner 
that enables us to master them : by its means the physi- 
cian ascertains each individual's state of health, and judges 
with the utmost accuracy of the origin, nature, and pro- 
gress of the most complicated diseases ; it prevents their 
growth, and effects their cure, without ever exposing 
patients to any dangerous effects, or injurious results, 
whatever may be tHeir age, temperament, or sex : nature 
presents to man, in Magnetism, a universal cure and 
means of preserving life.' (See page 1.) 

" Thus, gentlemen, this theory was connected with a 
general system of the universe. In this system all bodies 
had a reciprocal influence on each other : the medium of 
this influence was a universal fluid, pervading alike the 
stars, animated bodies, and the earth ; admitting, too, of no 
vacuum. All bodies had their opposite poles, and the 
ebbing and flowing currents took a different direction in 
accordance with these poles, which Mesmer compared 
with those of the magnet. 

" At the present day the existence and action of this all- 
pervading fluid, this mutual influence between the heaven- 
ly bodies, the earth, and animated beings, these poles and 
conflicting currents, are each and all rejected by those who 
write upon or practise Magnetism. Some deny the exist- 
ence of any fluid ; others maintain that the magnetic agent 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 37 

which produces all the phenomena in question is a fluid 
which exists in all individuals, but which is secreted, and 
emanates at will, from him only who desires to impreg- 
nate, as it were, another individual ; that, by an act of his 
volition, he puts this fluid in motion, directs, fixes it at dis- 
cretion, and enshrouds it with this atmosphere ; that if he 
finds in this individual moral dispositions analogous with 
those which animate him, the same fluid develops itself 
in the individual magnetized ; that their two atmospheres 
become blended, and thence arise those relations which 
identify them with each other ; relations by which the 
sensations of the former are communicated to the latter, 
and which, according to modern magnetizers, are sufficient 
to account for that clairvoyance, which, we are assured by 
many observers, has been witnessed in those who have 
been put into a somnambulic state by means of Mag- 
netism. 

" Here, then, is a first difference established, (between 
Magnetism as it is, and as it was ;) and this distinction has 
seemed to your committee the more worthy of examination, 
because of late the structure and functions of the nervous 
system have become the study of physiologists, and the 
opinions of Reil, and D'Autenreith, and M. de Humboldt, 
as well as the recent works of M. Bogros, seem to place 
beyond a doubt, not only the existence of a nervous circu- 
lation, but also the exterior expansion of this circulating 
fluid ; an expansion which takes place with such force 
and energy as to create a sphere of action that may be 
likened to that in which we observe the action of electri- 
fied bodies. 

" If from the theory of Magnetism we pass to the pro- 
cesses, we shall remark another total difference between 
those employed by Mesmer and Deslon, and those in 
vogue at the present day. We will again draw upon the 
royal commissioners for information as to the modus ope- 

4 






38 PSYCODUNAMY. > 

randi which they saw practised. ' There appeared in the 
midst of a large hall, a circular case made of oak, and 
raised a foot, or a foot and a half, from the floor, which is 
called the baquet, or tub. The lid of this case is perfora- 
ted by a number of holes, from which issue rods of iron, 
jointed and moveable. The patients are placed in several 
circles round this tub, and each has his rod of iron, which 
by means of the joint may be directly applied to the dis- 
eased part. A cord passed round their bodies connects 
them all ; sometimes an additional chain is formed by the 
joining of hands, that is to say, by each one's placing his 
thumb between the thumb and forefinger of his neighbor, 
and leaving it thus compressed. The impression received 
from the left, is communicated to the right, and thus goes 
the round of the circle. A piano is placed in a corner of 
the hall, and airs are performed thereon, varying in meas- 
ure and expression ; to which, occasionally, the voice lends 
its assistance. All the magnetizers hold in their hand an 
iron rod, from ten to twelve inches in length. This rod, 
which is the magnetic conductor, concentrates the fluid at 
its point, and renders its emanations more powerful. The 
sound of the piano is likewise a conductor of Magnetism ; 
the patients, who are numerous, and arranged in several 
circles round the tub, receive the magnetic influence by 
all these means and appliances at once, namely — the rods 
of iron branching from the tub and conveying the fluid 
thence, the cord entwined around their bodies, the union 
of the thumbs, and the sound of the piano. The patients 
are also directly magnetized by means of the finger, or the 
iron rod passed before their faces, above or behind their 
heads, and over the diseased parts ; but, above all, they 
are magnetized by the application of hands, and pressure 
on the lungs, and the abdominal regions ; an application 
which is often continued for a long time, sometimes for 
several hours.' (See page 3.) 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 39 

" Thus, gentlemen, the experiments then consisted of a 
mechanical pressure exerted, and that repeatedly, on the 
loins and abdomen, and from the appendice sternale to the 
pubis. These experiments were made, too, in presence of 
a large assembly, on a great number of persons at once, 
and before a crowd of witnesses ; and it was impossible 
that the imagination should not be greatly excited by the 
sight of the apparatus, the sound of the music, and the 
spectacle of the crises, or rather convulsions, which could 
not fail to be elicited, and repeated by the power of imita- 
tion ; and often assumed so frightful an aspect, that these 
magnetizing rooms received abroad the name of ' Hell of 
convulsions.' 

" At the present time, on the contrary, our magnetizers 
desire no witnesses of their experiments ; they invoke to 
their aid neither the influence of music, nor the imitative 
propensity of man ; the magnetized are alone, or accom- 
panied by one or two relatives ; they are no longer en- 
circled with cords : the tub with its iron branches, jointed 
and moveable, has been abandoned. Instead of the pres- 
sure employed on the lungs and abdomen, the operators 
confine themselves to passes, which at first sight appear 
insignificant, and produce no mechanical effect ; they draw 
their hands lightly along the arms, thighs, and legs ; they 
touch gently the forehead, and epigastrium, and emit to- 
wards these parts their magnetic atmosphere, as they term 
it. In this kind of touch there is nothing to offend de- 
cency, since it takes place over the clothes, and indeed it 
is sometimes unnecessary that there should be any contact 
at all ; for the magnetic influence has been, and that fre- 
quently, procured by manual passes made at the distance 
of several inches from the body of the person magnetized — 
nay, several feet, and even without his knowledge, by the 
sole power of volition, and consequently without contact. 

" Thus, with regard to the processes essential to the 



40 PSYCODUNAMY. 

production of magnetic effects, you see that there exists a 
great difference between the former mode, and that adopt- 
ed in our day. 

" But it is in a comparison of the results obtained in 
1784, with those which modern magnetizers profess to be 
constantly observing, more than in any thing else, that 
your committee thinks it has found a most powerful motive 
for determining you to subject Magnetism to another scru- 
tiny. The commissioners, whose expressions we will 
again borrow, tell us, ' that in the experiments they have 
witnessed, the patients present a picture extremely varied 
by their different states: some are calm, tranquil, and feel 
no effect ; some cough, spit, experience a slight pain, a 
local or general heat, and perspire in consequence ; others 
are tormented and agitated by convulsions. These con- 
vulsions are of extraordinary duration and violence ; one' 
convulsion no sooner commences, than several others mani- 
fest themselves. The commissioners have seen them last 
for more than three hours : they are accompanied by an 
expectoration of watery, impure, and slimy phlegm, forced 
up by their violent efforts ; this has sometimes been seen 
mixed with fibres, or small veins of blood. They are 
characterized by precipitate and involuntary movements 
of the limbs, and of the w T hole body ; by the contraction 
of the throat, twitchings of the lungs and epigastrium ; by 
the troubled and wild expression of the eyes, piercing 
cries, tears, hiccough, and immoderate laughter ; they are 
preceded, or followed, by a state of languor and revery, a 
kind of dejection, and even drowsiness. The least unex- 
pected noise startles them ; and it has been remarked that 
the patients were affected by a change of key, or meas- 
ure, in the airs played on the piano, that a bolder move- 
ment agitated them still more, and added to the violence of 
their convulsions. Nothing can be more astonishing than 
the spectacle of these spasmodic affections. Without hav- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 41 

ing seen, one can form no idea of them ; and while wit- 
nessing them, one is alike surprised at the deep repose of 
a portion of the patients, and the excited state of the rest ; 
at the various incidents that repeatedly occur, and the 
sympathies that are established. Patients are seen sing- 
ling out others in the crowd, rushing towards them, smi- 
ling mutually, conversing affectionately, and reciprocally 
soothing each other's crises. All are submissive to the 
magnetizer ; however drowsy they appear, his voice, his 
look, nay, a mere gesture, rouses them. No one can help 
acknowledging, in these constant results, the manifestation 
of a great power, which agitates the patients, nay, com- 
pletely subjugates them, and of which the magnetizer is 
apparently the depositary. This convulsive state is im- 
properly called " crisis" in the theory of Animal Magnet- 
ism.' (See Bailly's Report, page 5, 4to.) 

" At the present day no convulsions are elicited. If any 
nervous movement shows itself, attempts are made to check 
it ; all possible precautions are taken that the persons sub- 
jected to the action of Animal Magnetism may not be dis- 
turbed ; and they are no longer made an object of exhibi- 
tion. But, although these crises, these shrieks, these 
lamentations, this spectacle of convulsions, which the 
commissioners con%ss to be so extraordinary, no longer 
strike the beholder, there has been observed, since the 
publication of their report, a phenomenon which, say the 
magnetizers, borders on the miraculous ; your committee 
allude to the somnambulic state produced by the action 
of Magnetism. 

" M. de Puysegur was the first to observe it on his es- 
tate, at Busancy, and made it public towards the end of 
1784, four months after the publication of the report of the 
royal commissioners. 

"Twenty-nine years afterwards, in 1813, the respecta- 
ble M. Deleuze, to whose veracity, probity, and honor, 
4* 



42 PSYCODUNAMY. 

your committee gladly render homage, devoted an entire 
chapter to it in his ' Critical History of Animal Magnet- 
ism ;' a work in which the author has set forth, with as 
much sagacity as talent and method, all that the reader 
could have gleaned by dint of hard labor from the many 
writings published on the subject at the close of the last 
century. 

" More recently, in the month of May, 1819, an old and 
distinguished student of the Polytechnic School, who had 
just received his degree of doctor from the Medical Fac- 
ulty of Paris, M. Bertrand, delivered with great eclat, and 
before a numerous audience, a public course of lectures 
on Magnetism and somnambulism. He resumed it, with 
the same success, at the close of the same year, in 
1820-21, when the state of his health no longer permitting 
him to devote himself to public lecturing, he published, in 
1822, his ' Treatise on Somnambulism,' the first work ex- 
professo on the subject ; a work, in which, besides the ex- 
periments peculiar to the author, is found embodied a great 
collection of facts but little known, and relating to persons 
of various religious sects, said to be possessed, inspired, 
or enlightened. Before M. Bertrand, our estimable, indus- 
trious, and modest colleague, M. Georget, had analyzed this 
astounding phenomenon, in a truly philosophical and medi- 
cal manner, in his important work entitled, s The Physi- 
ology of the Nervous System ;' and it is from this work, as 
well as the treatise of Dr. Bertrand, and the publication 
of M. Deleuze, that your committee have derived the fol- 
lowing notions of somnambulism. 

" If we may believe modern magnetizers, (and on this 
point they are unanimous,) when magnetism has induced 
somnambulism, the individual who is in this state acquires 
a prodigious extension of the faculty of sense. Several of 
his external organs, commonly those of sight and hearing, 
are lulled to rest, and all the sensations dependent thereon 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 43 

are produced internally. The somnambulist has his eyes 
closed, and he sees not with his eyes, nor hears with his 
ears ; and yet he sees and hears better than a man awake. 
He sees and hears those only with whom he is in commu- 
nication, and usually looks only at those objects to which 
his attention is directed. He submits to the will of the 
magnetizer in all that cannot hurt him, and that does not 
run counter to his ideas of justice and truth. He feels 
the will of his magnetizer ; perceives the magnetic fluid ; 
sees, or rather is sensible of the internal state of his own 
body, and that of others ; but his observations therein are 
generally confined to such parts as are not in their natural 
state, the harmony of w T hich has been disturbed. He re- 
covers the recollection of things forgotten when he was 
awake. He has previsions and presentiments, which may 
in many cases prove erroneous, and are limited in their 
extent.. He enjoys a surprising facility of enunciation, and 
is by no means exempt from the vanity arising from the 
conscious development of this singular faculty. He im- 
proves himself, for a certain time, if wisely directed ; but if 
otherwise, he goes astray. When he returns to a natural 
state, he loses entirely the recollection of all the sensations 
and ideas which he had in the somnambulic state ; so that 
these two states are as foreign to each other as if the 
somnambulist and the awakened man were two distinct 
beings. Frequently, in this singular state, the operator 
has succeeded in paralyzing — in absolutely closing the 
senses to all impressions from without, to such a degree, 
that a flask containing several ounces of concentrated am- 
moniac has been applied to the nose for five, ten, or fifteen 
minutes, and even longer, without producing the least ef- 
fect, without at all impeding respiration, or even producing 
sneezing. The skin has likewise been rendered completely 
insensible, although pinched till it became black ; although 
pricked, and, what is more, exposed to the heat of burning 



44 PSYCODTJNAMY. 

moxa, to the extreme irritation produced by hot water sat- 
urated with mustard — a heat and irritation which were se- 
verely felt, and excessively painful, when the skin resumed 
its normal sensibility. 

" Surely, gentlemen, all these phenomena, if real, are 
well worthy of attentive study; and it is precisely because 
your committee consider them quite extraordinary, and 
hitherto unexplained — we will add, even incredible until 
seen — that they have not hesitated to lay them before you; 
fully persuaded that you will, in like manner, see fit to 
submit them to a serious and thoughtful investigation. We 
would add, that the royal commissioners not having been 
able to become acquainted with them, as somnambulism 
was not observed till after the publication of their report, 
it becomes urgent to study this astonishing phenomenon, 
and to elucidate a fact, which unites in so intimate a man- 
ner psychology with physiology ; a fact which, in a word, 
if once established, is capable of throwing such light on 
the therapeutic art. 

" And if it is proved, as modern observers assure us, 
that in this somnambulic state, the principal phenomena of 
which we have just set before you analytically, the mag- 
netized enjoy a lucidity of perception which gives them 
positive ideas of the nature of their own diseases, the af- 
fections under which others who are put in communication 
with them labor, and of the mode of treatment proper to be 
adopted in both cases ; if it is unquestionably true, as per- 
sons affirm from actual observations made in 1820. at the 
Hotel Dieu of Paris, that during this singular state sensi- 
bility is deadened to such a degree as to admit of a som- 
nambulist's being cauterized without pain ; if it is equally 
true, as is stated by eye-witnesses to have occurred at the 
Salpetriere, in 1821, that somnambulists are endowed with 
such a degree of foresight, that females well known as epi- 
leptic subjects, and who had been treated as such for a long 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 45 

time, have been enabled to predict, twenty days before- 
hand, the day, hour, nay, the minute, at which they would 
experience an epileptic fit, and did so ; if, in short, it is 
also ascertained by the same magnetizers, that this singu- 
lar faculty may be advantageously employed in the practice 
of medicine, there can be no kind of doubt that this point 
of itself merits the attention and investigation of the 
Academy. 

" To these considerations, all founded on the interest we 
feel in behalf of science, permit us to add another, the off- 
spring of national pride. Ought the French faculty to re- 
main unacquainted with the researches which the physi- 
cians of northern Europe are making on the subject of 
Magnetism ? Your committee think not. In almost all 
those kingdoms, Magnetism is studied and practised by 
very skilful men, and men by no means prone to credulity; 
and if its utility is not generally acknowledged, we are at 
least assured, that its reality is not there called in question. 
It is no longer a subject upon which enthusiastic writers 
merely build theories and report facts, it has its advocates 
among physicians and savans of a high order of talent. 

" In Prussia, M. Hufeland, after having protested against 
Magnetism, yielded to what he calls the force of evidence, 
and declared himself its partisan. A considerable hospital 
has been established at Berlin, in which patients are suc- 
cessfully treated by this method ; and several physicians 
have adopted it in their practice, by authority of the gov- 
ernment ; for none but physicians of established reputation 
are permitted to practise Magnetism publicly. 

" At Frankfort, Dr. Passavant has given to the world a 
very remarkable work, not only for its exposition of facts, 
but, still more so, for the moral and psychological infer- 
ences which he draws from them. 

" At Groningen, Dr. Bosker, a man of high reputation, 
has translated into Dutch the ' Critical History of Magnet- 



46 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



ism,' by our honorable countryman, M. Deleuze, and added 
thereto a volume of observations, made on the treatment 
adopted in conjunction with his brother physicians. 

" At Stockholm, the degree-of Doctor of Medicine is at- 
tained by theses on Magnetism, as in all universities by 
disputations on the various branches of science. 

" At. Petersburg, Dr. Stoffreghen, first physician to the 
emperor of Russia, and several other members of the Fac- 
ulty, have given an opinion in favor of the utility, as well 
as the existence of Animal Magnetism. Some abuses re- 
sulting from the incautious exercise of it, caused its sus- 
pension in the public institutions ; but the physicians still 
have recourse to it in their individual practice, when they 
deem it useful. 

" Near Moscow, Count de Panin, once minister from 
Russia, has established on his estate, and under the direc- 
tion of a physician, a course of magnetic treatment, by 
which, it is said, many important cures have been effected. 

" Shall we remain behind the people of the north, gen- 
tlemen ? Shall we devote no attention to an ensemble of 
phenomena which has attracted that of nations we are 
justly proud in believing to be behind us in civilization 
and the paths of science 1 Your committee, gentlemen, 
know you too well to entertain such a fear. 

" Lastly, is it not deplorable that Magnetism should be 
practised under your very eyes, as it were, by persons 
totally ignorant of medicine ; by women escorted clan- 
destinely through Paris, by individuals who seem to make 
a mystery of their existence ? And has not the time ar- 
rived, when, according to the wish expressed years ago 
by honest men, and physicians who have incessantly 
studied and observed in silence the phenomena of Mag- 
netism, the Faculty of France, shaking off the restraint 
which the judgments of their predecessors seem to have 
imposed, ought at length to examine, and decide for them- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 47 

selves on facts attested by persons to whose morality, 
veracity, independence, and talent, the world at large pay 
ready homage 1 Let us add, gentlemen, that it is one of 
the objects of your institution to become acquainted with 
every thing having reference to the inquiry into extraor- 
dinary and secret remedies ; and that were all you have 
heard of Magnetism mere jugglery, invented by quacks 
for the purpose of imposing on public credulity, your sur- 
veillance needs but a hint to procure the unhesitating per- 
formance of one of your chief duties, the exercise of one 
of your most honorable prerogatives, that which is con- 
ferred on you by the royal ordinance for your incorporation, 
the examination of this means, or agency, which is an- 
nounced to you as an agency of healing. 

" The following summary, therefore, gentlemen, em- 
bodies the sentiments of your committee : 

" 1. That the judgment passed in 1784 by the commis- 
sioners appointed by the king to inquire into Animal Mag- 
netism, by no means dispenses with the obligation to in- 
vestigate the subject anew, because, in the sciences, no 
decision whatever is absolute or irrevocable. 

" 2. Because the experiments on which this judgment 
was based seem to have been made in a desultory man- 
ner, without the simultaneous and necessary assembling 
of all the commissioners, and in such a spirit, as accord- 
ing to the principles of the subject they were called on 
to examine, could not but cause their complete failure. 

" 3. That the Magnetism thus denounced in 1784, differs 
entirely in theory, modus operandi, and results, from that 
which exact, honest, attentive observers, enlightened, in- 
dustrious, and persevering physicians, have studied for 
some years past. 

" 4. That it concerns the honor of the French Faculty 
not to remain behind German physicians in the study of 
phenomena which are announced by enlightened and im- 



48 



PSYCODTJNAMY. 



partial advocates of Magnetism, as having been produced 
by this new agent. 

" 5. That, considering Magnetism as an occult remedy, 
it is the duty of the Academy to study and experiment upon 
it, in order to wrest the use and practice thereof from per- 
sons altogether ignorant of the art, who abuse this means, 
and make it an object of lucre and speculation. 

" Upon all these considerations, your committee are of 
opinion that the section ought to adopt the proposition of 
Dr. Foissac, and appoint a special committee to devote 
itself to the study and examination of Animal Magnetism." 

(Signed,) 

" Adelon, 
Pariset, 
Marc, 

burdin-aine. 
" Husson, Reporter, 11 



. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 49 



CHAPTER IV. 

ACADEMICAL DISCUSSION OF THE FIRST REPORT. 

The report of the committee made a deep impression 
upon the Academy ; but the discussion was postponed to 
the next session. 

Sessien of the 10th of January, 1826. 

§ i. " M. Desgenettes, the first speaker, whose name ap- 
pears on the list of those opposed to the conclusions of the 
report, admits, however, that the judgment passed on Ani- 
mal Magnetism in 1784, does not absolutely interdict a 
fresh investigation ; but he regrets the instances given by 
the Reporter of the revocation of judgments in matters of 
science, and particularly that of the proscription of the 
emetic, and inoculation for the small-pox, by the parlia- 
ment of Paris. He then endeavors to exonerate the com- 
missioners of 1784 from the reproach cast upon them by 
the Reporter, of not having conducted their examination 
with becoming care. He thinks that a regard for pro- 
priety, and a commendable discretion, forbade a more rig- 
orous scrutiny. He cites the opinion of Thouret, that Mag- 
netism is from beginning to end mere jugglery. 

" It is a false pretension, adds M. Desgenettes, that the 
Magnetism of to-day differs from that of 1784 ; it has 
changed its form merely, and the somnambulists of the 
present age are the authors of as many miracles as were 
wrought in olden times, by means of magnetized trees. 
M. Desgenettes eschews, as liable to suspicion, the mag- 
netic labors undertaken in Germany, a country which gave 
birth to the theories of Boerhaave and Kant, and the cures 
of Prince Hohenlohe, &c. ' The report,' says he, ' has 

5 






50 PSYCODUNAMY. 

done much harm, by reviving the hopes of Magnetism, and 
turned the heads of the rising generation, who are thereby 
led to believe, that it is useless henceforth to read and 
make researches. We shall soon have to suspend our 
courses of lectures, and close our schools before they are 
demolished.' 

• § 2. " M. Virey approves of the proposition to institute 
fresh inquiries into Animal Magnetism. Already, in a letter 
addressed to the President of the Department, he has desig- 
nated some of the experiments which it would be of use 
to make, in order to arrive at a more enlightened opinion 
as to the real phenomena of Magnetism ; but he regrets 
that the Reporter should only have spoken of the labors of 
the Commissioners of the Academy of Sciences, and the 
Royal Society of Medicine, and passed over in silence 
those of numerous literati who have occupied themselves 
with this question. He would have had the committee 
furnish observations on the analogy that might exist be- 
tween the effects of Magnetism, and those observed in 
certain electric animals ; in those, too, whose gaze has the 
singular property of fascinating and attracting their prey. 
He would have wished, above all, that it had protested 
against the ridiculous practices and shameful mummeries 
which disgrace the cause of Magnetism, and that it had an- 
nounced that its intention would be directed to the psycho- 
logical or physiological research into the influence which 
Magnetism really appears to exercise on the nervous system ; 
for the rest, he does not think the Academy can shrink from 
the question submitted to its examination, and he votes for 
the formation of a committee, to which opponents of the 
cause shall be admitted. 

§ 3. " M. Bally begins by expressing his regret at being 
obliged to take sides against the very remarkable report 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 51 

of M. Husson, and confesses that his mind was for a time 
almost shaken into a belief of animal, or organic Magnet- 
ism, by an experiment made by Messrs. Ampere and 
Arago. He is surprised that magnetizers have not more 
amply availed themselves of it. This experiment consists 
in placing a circular plate of metal under a bar that has 
been touched with the loadstone, and giving a rotary motion 
to the former ; the bar is then seen to turn of itself, and it 
is not by means of the air that the movement is communi- 
cated to the bar, for the same thing happens when it is 
placed on an isolated stand. Can it be, then, that there 
exists in nature some imponderable fluid besides those 
with which natural philosophy is familiar? However that 
may be, he does not see what service a committee, such 
as the report proposes to elect, could render. It would 
lop off all the supernatural excrescences of Magnetism, and 
apply itself only to the physical phenomena : now the lat- 
ter have been amply demonstrated, and it is impossible to 
add either to their number or legitimacy. The Academy, 
before taking up the subject of Magnetism, ought to await 
the presentation of memorials on a point of science beset 
with so many difficulties. Committees, moreover, hardly 
ever facilitate the progress of the sciences, and the one 
proposed would have to guard itself against the snares of 
jugglery, or its own credulity. Are there not, adds M. 
Bally, many points of comparison between the phenomena 
experienced by persons who are now magnetized, and 
those attributed of old to the initiated in the mysteries of 
Ceres and Eleusis 1 Ought prudent minds to regard with 
less suspicion the oracles of somnambulists, than those is 
which were heard the Sybils and Pythias of antiquity 1 
He alludes to the dangers and ridicule that follow the 
mystic practices of Magnetism, and fears that through the 
agency of Magnetism at a distance, some great operator or 
other may, from his garret in Paris, continue to shake the 



52 PSYCODUNAMY. 

thrones of China and Japan. M. Bally votes against the 
conclusions of the report. 

§ 4. " M. Orfila thinks to promote the interests of society 
at large, as well as those of the Academy, by voting for the 
adoption of the report. Those who oppose it, he says, can 
rest their objections only on the three following reasons : 

" 1. The Department has not been called upon to take 
into consideration the proposed scrutiny, and ought not to 
involve itself, unadvisedly, in a question admitting of so 
much controversy. 

" 2- Animal Magnetism is mere jugglery. 

" 3. Committees do not exert themselves. 

" Now, the first fact assumed is incorrect. A physician 
of Paris, M. Foissac, has called upon the department to 
take up the subject of Magnetism, in offering to submit to 
an examination, by its commissioners, a magnetic somnam- 
bulist ; and other physicians, members of this Academy — 
M. Rostan in particular — have in their writings invited the 
attention of the learned to this question. 

" In the second place, if there is a great deal of jugglery 
and charlatanism in Animal Magnetism, is it not the part of 
rashness to reject as false all that is told us of the effects 
produced by this agency 1 The testimony of enlightened 
physicians ought to be admitted as proof in this matter. 
If the magnetic phenomena appear extraordinary, did those 
of electricity at first appear less marvellous 1 Would it have 
been rational to treat Franklin as a juggler, when he announc- 
ed that with a metallic-pointed instrument he would control 
the lightning of heaven ? Whether Magnetism is capable 
of being employed for good or evil, it is a therapeutic 
agent ; and it concerns the honor of the Academy — nay, 
it is their duty, to search into it. 

" As to the third objection, M. Orfila is of opinion that 
committees do effect little when they act simultaneously ; 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



53 



but that this is not the case when the members pursue 
their researches individually, and then make common 
stock of the fruit of their observations. He votes for the 
formation of a committee composed of ten members. 

§ 5. " M. Double complains that the reportof the committee 
being, from beginning to end, nothing but an apology for Mag- 
netism, they have not discharged the duty confided to them 
by the Academy. Is it possible to believe, as the Reporter 
affirms, that the commissioners of 1784 conducted their 
examination carelessly, and under the influence of preju- 
dice ? The names of Lavoisier, Bally, and Franklin, 
forbid such a suspicion. 

" It is futile to assert that the Magnetism of the present 
day differs from that whose merits were decided on in 
1784. The language of its partisans, not the face of the 
question itself, has undergone a change ; in 1784, Mag- 
netism was clothed a la francaise, now it wears a plain 
frock-coat. 

" And since the committee have evinced a disposition to 
hunt up precedents and models out of France, instead of 
importing them from Germany and the northern countries, 
so fertile in extravagant systems, and whence all sorts of 
errors have reached us, both in medicine and philosophy, 
why was not England cited, the birthplace of the immortal 
Newton, which in the pursuit of science, confining itself 
scrupulously to the paths of experience and observation, 
has hitherto disdained to bestow any attention on Magnet- 
ism ? Moreover, the committee has no right to urge in 
support of the conclusions contained in its report, the at- 
tribute with which the Academy is invested, of examining 
occult remedies. If Magnetism comes under this head, the 
Academy ought to wait, as it is in the habit of doing in other 
matters, until the investigation is urged upon it by authority. 

" Having thus inveighed against the arguments of the 
5* 






54 PSYCODUNAMY. 

report, M. Double proceeds to an examination of the ques- 
tion itself. He has made Magnetism his private study for 
eighteen or twenty years ; has magnetized, and been 
magnetized ; but having never elicited or experienced 
any phenomena, he remains fully persuaded, that from the 
time of Mesmer down to the present day, every result said 
to have been produced is mere illusion or deception. 
Consequently, he divides magnetizers into two classes — 
the dupers and the duped. Viewing the question in refer- 
ence to the art of healing, what an absurd pretension is 
that of managing, or directing at will an agent of which 
nothing is known, no definite idea formed, and which the 
mind can in nowise grasp or appreciate ! Regarding it ir. 
a scientific point of view only, the theory of Magnetism, 
as promulgated, presents a motley and incongruous mass 
of facts. The nomination of a committee for the examin- 
ation of these facts, cannot but impede the progress of 
science, and compromise the Academy. Committees and 
delegated bodies are generally ill-qualified for the collect- 
ing of facts ; this is the province of individual labor : the 
office of academies, is rather to judge of, and reduce them 
to a system when collected ; and in the present question, 
in what danger is a committee of being deceived! and of 
how much graver import are mystifications to a body of 
men than to individuals ! 

" M. Double then wishes the department to observe, 
that the principles of magnetizers themselves are opposed 
to the examination they solicit. He quotes a passage from 
M. Deleuze, upon the difficulty which the learned expe- 
rience in inducing a frame of mind calculated to elicit the 
magnetic phenomena. Good-will, confidence, and faith, 
are requisite, both on the part of the magnetizers and 
magnetized. Can commissioners ever comply with the 
conditions exacted ? In conclusion, M. Double cites a 
passage from M. Rostan, who gives a picture of the dangers 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 05 

of Magnetism in certain cases, and like M. Bally, he urges 
its prejudicial influence on public morality. In voting 
against the nomination of a committee, M. Double entreats 
the Academy to wait till scientific memorials on Animal 
Magnetism shall be presented to its notice. 

§ 6. " M. Laennec votes against the conclusions of the 
report, because the result of twenty years' study, which he 
has devoted to Animal Magnetism, has demonstrated to 
him, that it is almost wholly a system of jugglery and de- 
ception. He, however, commenced the study with pre- 
possessions in its favor ; but he quickly perceived that he 
possessed but little magnetic power, and that to magnetize 
one's self was a very poor method of getting at the truth ; 
that a man always ends by becoming the dupe of his own 
vanity, or the interest he cannot but feel in behalf of the 
person he magnetizes. It is much better to be contented 
to look on without taking any active part in the experi- 
ments. By pursuing this course, he has ascertained that 
the sagacity of the magnetic senses was often led astray 
by appearances, and he has seen pretended somnambulists 
fall into gross errors of this description. All his observa- 
tions have taught him that nine-tenths of these facts are 
forged. Thus the phenomena produced by magnetizers, 
and the oracles uttered by somnambulists, differ according 
to the physical and moral temperaments of the parties. 
Mesmer, by his magnetic operations, excited convulsions. 
Deslon elicited real crises such as are observed in dis- 
eases. In like manner the somnambulist of M. Deleuze, 
a highly-educated man, displays much more intelligence 
than those of M. de Puysegur, who was unversed in the 
sciences. Lastly, he has lately seen a somnambulist, un- 
der the direction of an apothecary, evince remarkable skill 
in apportioning the ingredients of the prescriptions he 
recommended." 



56 PSYCODUNAMY. 

On motion of M. Itard, the discussion was adjourned to 
the next session. 

Session of the 24th of January. 

§ 7. " M. Chardel supports the conclusions of the report. 
Nothing proves more satisfactorily to him the necessity of 
a fresh investigation of Magnetism, than the diversity of 
opinions expressed within the walls of the Academy it- 
self. Can those who oppose it do so from real conviction? 
and have they the right to assert, that there is room to call 
in question, on the part of the learned, a disposition to com- 
ply with the conditions to which experimentalists are 
liable, at the very moment when this investigation is sub- 
mitted to the Academy 1 It is thought, that to admit the 
existence of this agent acknowledged by magnetizers is 
repugnant to reason ; now what can there be so strange in 
the action of one living being on another to him who has 
witnessed the wonders of Galvanism 1 It has been de- 
cided that Magnetism is a chimera, because the magnetic 
fluid does not come within the range of any of our senses, 
and the laws by which it operates have not yet been de- 
fined : on this ground, the same parties might deny the 
cerebral influence, of the mechanical operation of which 
we are quite as ignorant. It is made a subject of reproach 
against the partisans of Magnetism, that they insist on the 
necessity of faith and volition, in order to magnetize suc- 
cessfully ; now which of our faculties can we exert with- 
out these two conditions ? Some will have it that Mag- 
netism is simply the influence which one sex has over the 
other ; whereas we have seen even children become mag- 
netic somnambulists. Magnetism, they will tell us, may 
be dangerous : if so, there is an additional motive for in- 
vestigating it. Moreover, in making this objection, those 
who deny the reality of the magnetic phenomena fall into 
a strange contradiction. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 57 

" Besides all this, M. Chardel testifies to the reality 
of these phenomena from having been an eye-witness 
thereof himself, and especially that which is termed 
somnambulism. In the number of those which are most 
uniformly produced by the magnetic action he places — 
l. A deep and prolonged sleep, which is often accom- 
panied by somnambulism. 2. The expansion of the in- 
tellectual faculties. 3. An extension of sight, which 
enables the somnambulist to see the magnetic fluid. 4. 
The faculty of acquiring perceptions of the state of the in- 
ternal organs. He does not presume to express an opi- 
nion of Magnetism considered as a therapeutic agent ; but 
he is inclined to believe that it ought not to be employed 
without the greatest caution ; in short, whether it consists 
in nervous phenomena determined by a peculiar agent, or 
by the mere effect of imagination, it is equally worthy of 
being studied. A previous decision furnishes no argument 
against it, since, in spite of the imposing names of the 
literati who denounced it, Magnetism has since that period 
never ceased to spread, and now rests upon a mass of 
facts which it is impossible to call in question. How 
otherwise can we account for this uninterrupted succession 
of the deceiving or deceived ? There can be no pretext 
for refusing to investigate anew a doctrine which for fifty 
years has successfully resisted all attacks upon it. 

§ 8. " M. Rochoux votes against the conclusions of the 
report, on the ground that the dogma admitted by magneti- 
zers, that the presence of - one unbeliever is sufficient to 
neutralize every species of operation, must inevitably dis- 
qualify a committee formed of men who doubt, or disbe- 
lieve, from entering upon the proposed examination. Ani- 
mal Magnetism, reduced to its simple form, offers nothing 
worthy of investigation ; all the reality connected with it 
consists in the appearance of a few phenomena which 



58 PSYCODUNAMY. 

Dr. Bertrand refers to the ecstatic state, but which might 
with greater propriety be placed on the list of hallucinations. 

§ 9. " M. Marc leaves to M. Husson the defence of the con- 
clusions contained in the report, and entertains the Acade- 
my with an account of the labors undertaken in Germany 
in the cause of Magnetism. He is sorry to see geograph- 
ical lines of demarcation laid down in reference to the 
sciences, and thinks that Hermstaedt, Mekel, Klaproth, 
Hufeland, and Shiglits, were, or are not dealers in mira- 
cles, any more than Lavoisier, Fourcroy, and Thouret ; 
and yet, he observes, we see the most enlightened minds 
of Germany, among others those I have just mentioned, 
devoting themselves to inquiries into Magnetism, and de- 
monstrating its reality. 

" The Academy of Sciences at Berlin, one of the most 
eminently learned bodies in Europe, did not think it de- 
rogatory to its dignity to offer, in 1818, a premium of 
3300 francs for the best essay on Animal Magnetism. Al- 
low me to read to you the following passage from the pro- 
gramme published on this subject : 

" ' It is desirable that the information acquired in respect 
to Animal Magnetism be presented in such a form as to 
divest it of all that is marvellous, by demonstrating that, 
like other physical phenomena, it follows certain rules, and 
that its effects are by no means isolated, individual, and 
without analogy in the range of organic nature.' 

"Was this condition, I ask, gentlemen, dictated by en- 
thusiasts and dealers in miracles ? 

" In Prussia, by a royal ordinance issued on the 7th of 
February, 1817, none but physicians legally admitted, are 
allowed to practise Magnetism ; and all who devote their 
attention to it, are enjoined to render an account every 
three months to a superior delegation, of the results of 
their operations, 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 59 

"In 1815, the emperor of Russia appointed a board of 
physicians to investigate Magnetism. This board having 
announced that the result of its researches was a convic- 
tion that Magnetism is a very important agent, and one that 
ought to be employed by none but well-qualified physi- 
cians ; it was ordained that those physicians who wished 
to undertake magnetic cures, should render an account to 
the board every three months of their experiments, and 
that the board should report the same at like intervals to 
the emperor. 

" A resolution of the College of Health at Denmark, 
passed on the 21st of December, 1816, and afterwards a 
royal enactment on the 14th of January, 1817, impose the 
same obligations on physicians, and enjoin the local au- 
thorities to see that physicians alone practise Magnetism, 
and to prosecute and punish as empirics all such as might 
make use of it without medical superintendence. 

" From the foregoing facts, can it be supposed that men 
of eminent merit — that a learned body of the highest grade 
— that governments known to have assembled about them 
the &ite of the medical profession, have, possibly, in dif- 
ferent places, and at different periods, become the dupes 
of jugglers or enthusiasts, and executed, promulgated, or- 
dered, and patronized, labors having for their object a mere 
chimera 1 

" M. Marc votes for the formation of a permanent com- 
mittee, chosen in ' trios' from the partisans and adversaries 
of Magnetism, and from the members of the Academy who 
are still skeptical. He believes that a committee thus or- 
ganized, cannot but arrive at conclusions beneficial to sci- 
ence, and reflecting honor on the Academy. 

§ 10. " M. Nacquart endeavors to prove that Magnetism 
ought not to be investigated, because the human mind, 
with all its present attainments in knowledge, cannot grasp 



60 PSYCOBUNAMY. 

the subject : he views it in its relation both to physical 
and organic sciences. As to the former, he says, the last 
century did justice to the attempt made by magnetizers to 
assimilate its laws with those of the loadstone ; and as to 
the latter, it is evident to all who have heard somnambu- 
lism spoken of, that its marvels are beyond the pale of the 
known laws of organic nature. In somnambulism, in fact, 
the senses have no need of organs ; time, space, (interve- 
ning) bodies disappear, &c. The Academy then would 
have no line, rule, or criterion for passing judgment on 
such phenomena ; the discussion, therefore, must at all 
events be adjourned. 

§ 11. " M. Itard commences by replying to the objec- 
tions of the adversaries of the committee. Pleasantries, 
he says, are here out of place, for they can only reach the 
abuses and extravagances of Magnetism ; and it is not 
proposed to adopt these abuses, but to separate whatever 
of truth there may be in it from its exaggerations. It 
cannot be inferred from the examination of 1784 that 
Magnetism is a thing condemned, for what kind of con- 
demnation can that be which falls innoxious on its object? 
Now Magnetism has continued since 1784 to strengthen 
and spread, and at the present day many physicians make 
no mystery of their faith in Magnetism. It is impossible 
to imagine that all the facts w T hich have been accumulated 
in its favor for half a century are mere illusions and con- 
jurations. The dignity of the Academy is talked of; but 
there is nothing more compatible with the dignity of a 
learned man than a willingness to be taught what he does 
not know. Fears are entertained lest it should expose it- 
self to ridicule. But what matters ridicule when one en- 
joys the consciousness of acting with a view to the inter- 
ests of science and humanity 1 

" M. Itard then explains the advantages that are to be 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 61 

expected from the investigation. The practice of medi- 
cine will be freed from a secret competition, of which the 
physician is always kept in ignorance, and by which he 
sees his dignity compromised. The public will be deliv- 
ered from a charlatanism, the more easily practised, inas- 
much as it requires neither address nor audacity, but 
which is capable of making dupes and victims. In fact, 
the Academy cannot refuse the investigation without pla- 
cing themselves in a most embarrassing position. What 
will -they do, indeed, if memorials and observations of 
Magnetism are sent to them ? Will they appoint a com- 
mittee each time ? If so, this committee, whether com- 
posed of believers, unbelievers, or skeptics, will prove in- 
dividually and collectively incompetent to the task. Chance 
will determine every thing ; one committee would approve 
to-day what another would disapprove to-morrow. Will 
the Academy, on the other hand, slight these memorials 1 
How can they presume to do so after the eclat of this dis- 
cussion, after the result of the ballot shall have exhibited 
at least a third of its members voting for the investigation 1 
By not declining on the plea of incompetency to judge of 
phenomena of this description, they will preserve the right 
of authoritatively denouncing the clandestine practice of 
Magnetism, which is so much to be deplored. Whether 
Magnetism be a real or imaginary agent, it must be in- 
quired into ; to refuse this, is to decline treading the ex- 
perimental path which alone leads to truth. It is to give 
currency to the belief that we turn from it with motives 
which will be interpreted in a manner very unfavorable to 
the Academy, and very favorable, on the contrary, to 
Magnetism. 

§ 12. " M. Recamier can add nothing to what has been 
said by Messrs. Desgenettes, Bally, and Double ; but he 
wishes to make known what he has observed relative to 
6 



62 PSYCODUNAMY. 

the magnetic phenomena. He has seen the celebrated 
somnambulist of M. de Puysegur, called ' the Marechale,' 
and he has some reason to suspect a fraud, for he was re- 
fused the means of dissipating his doubts by an experi- 
ment, and heard this woman repeat things which he him- 
self had previously told the patients. How ridiculous, too, 
to see a drachm of Glauber salts prescribed as a transcen- 
dent remedy for pulmonary consumption ! He has been 
present when experiments were made at the Hotel Dieu 
upon two women and a man. He saw one of the women 
fall asleep, as it was said, under the mere influence of the 
volition of the magnetizer, who for that purpose had con- 
cealed himself in an armoire ; but the only proofs by 
which he sought to establish the reality of the sleep were 
confined to slight pinchings, and a sudden, but not loud 
noise made near her ears ; and yet, in the exaggerated ac- 
counts of this affair, the above feeble attempts to arouse 
her were converted into painful tortures. It is true he 
employed a more powerful means on a man who had been 
put into the somnambulic state by an inmate of the estab- 
lishment, M. Robouam. He dipped him, (an operation 
which by the by the disease called for,) and it is a fact, 
that the man neither awoke, nor showed any signs of sen- 
sibility. 

" M. Recamier has never dreamed of denying these 
facts. He believes in some action or other; but he does 
not think it possible to render it serviceable in medicine. 

" In Germany, where Magnetism is so much in vogue, are 
the cures effected more numerous or remarkable than else- 
where ? Has Magnetism led to any therapeutic discovery 
in that country ? Nothing, then, is less certain than its 
healing efficacy. At the very time when the cure of a girl 
who had been magnetized at the Hotel Dieu was noised 
abroad, she was requesting to be readmitted to the hospital, 
where she died of a disease pronounced incurable by every 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 63 

member of the profession. As for somnambulism, it is a 
mere (morbid) excitement of sensibility, and not a display 
of greater power, or extension of that faculty. The pretend- 
ed clairvoyance of somnambulists has no existence ; and 
he has twice seen the most glaring moral abuses result 
from the practice of Magnetism. M. Recamier does not 
see the necessity of appointing a permanent committee for 
this object; unbelievers could not be enrolled therein, 
since, according to the magnetic doctrine, these would 
paralyze the efforts of the believers. He adds, that were 
the government to require of the Academy a judgment on 
Magnetism, the latter would have a right to refuse it on 
the score of not having at its disposal a magnetizing ma- 
chine to facilitate its researches. He therefore votes 
against the report ; but he does not oppose a gracious re- 
ception of any observations that may be presented to the 
Academy upon Animal Magnetism. 

§ 13. " M. Georget proposes the two following ques- 
tions, namely : Is the existence of Magnetism at least 
probable ? Does it behoove the Academy to investigate 
Animal Magnetism 1 The affirmative solution of the first 
question does not involve that of the other. 

" For forty years, he says, Magnetism has been studied, 
practised, and promulgated in France, and a great portion 
of Europe, by a great multitude of well-informed and dis- 
interested men, who proclaim its truth, in spite of the shafts 
of ridicule vainly showered upon it with a view to its anni- 
hilation. It is an astonishing fact, that Magnetism is not 
even known by name among the ignorant class ; it is 
from the enlightened class that it derives support. Those 
who are enlisted in its cause, are men who have at least 
received a tolerable education ; and in the number of those 
who have composed the many volumes in which are accu- 
mulated the facts, that at the present day may be cited in 






64 PSYCODIINAMY. 

its favor, are to be found literati, naturalists, physicians, 
and philosophers. And yet, magnetizers are represented 
as ignoramuses and imbeciles, whose testimony is beneath 
notice. How comes it, then, that these ignoramuses are 
daily making converts of distinguished men, and that the 
latter, when they have witnessed certain effects, become 
in the end the most zealous partisans of so contemptible 
an opinion ? It must be confessed, that a fallacy which is 
thus propagated, contrary to the usual course of things, 
supposes the existence of a new species of hallucination, 
of which it is at least very important to trace the cause. 

" M. Georget cites the names of several physicians, 
members of the Academy, who have witnessed magnetic 
facts, and publicly evinced their devotion to truth. He 
refers to the experiments made at the Hotel Dieu, by M. 
Dupotet, in presence of Messrs. Husson, GeofFroy, Reca- 
mier, Delens, Patissier, Martin Solon, Bricheteau de Ker- 
garadec, and others, who affixed their signatures to the 
statement of results. 

" The phenomena of Magnetism, says M. Georget, are 
found to be inexplicable ; but since when has it become al- 
lowable to deny a fact on the score of our inability to account 
for it 1 First doubt, then investigation, mark the progress 
of every well-ordered mind — of every man who is not 
blinded by prejudice, and believes that nature has yet 
secrets to reveal to him. 

" The cry of charlatanism is raised ; but does the con- 
duct of magnetizers desen'e this reproach ? A charlatan 
conceals himself, and makes a mystery of the means he 
employs ; magnetizers, on the contrary, call for an investi- 
gation. ' Do as we do, and you will obtain the same re- 
sults,' is what they incessantly urge upon others. Among 
those who believe in Magnetism, we find none that have 
not seen, examined, and made experiments. Among its 
adversaries, we find men who, for the most part, deny 






ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 65 



what they have neither seen nor wish to see. To the 
second question, as to whether the Academy ought to in- 
quire into Magnetism, M. Georget answers in the nega- 
tive. 

" The phenomena of Magnetism, he continues, demand, 
in order that the mind may grasp them, an unflagging at- 
tention, a zeal — nay, a devotion that cannot be looked for 
in a committee. It is a notorious fact that there is great 
difficulty in procuring a single convention of the members 
who compose the committees daily nominated. Will the 
numerous delegation which it is now proposed to appoint, 
assemble punctually every day for several months ? be- 
sides, it is a fact that somnambulists harassed and tor- 
mented by observers, or ill-disposed persons, are confused, 
and even completely disconcerted. 

" The Academy ought to encourage the examination of 
Animal Magnetism, but not undertake the task itself. 

§ 14. "M. Magendie admits the expediency of an inves- 
tigation, and will not decline being nominated to serve on 
the committee : he even proposes himself as a member ; 
but thinks the Academy has taken a wrong course, in an- 
ticipating the question by the present discussion. Upon 
M. Foissac's presenting his proposition, they ought merely 
to have appointed delegates to inquire into the phenomena 
which he might have to offer. He therefore votes against 
the formation of a standing committee, and for the nomina- 
tion of a committee of three. 

§ 15. " M. Guersent regrets the introduction of written 
discourses into the Academy: it will tend, he says, to pro- 
tract all its discussions. Proceeding tjien to the question, 
he declares himself in favor of the views of the commit- 
tee. In his opinion, Magnetism is not a settled question ; 
it is really requisite that the facts of which it is composed 



66 PSYCODUNAMY. 

should undergo a fresh examination. The report of the 
commissioners of 1784, proves of itself that Magnetism is 
not, in toto, an affair of jugglery, since the authors of that 
report acknowledge the reality of important phenomena, 
such as convulsions, hiccough, vomitings, &c. M. Guer- 
sent can add thereto his personal experience. He has 
seen and produced, by means of Magnetism, phenomena 
as to the reality of which he could not be mistaken, and 
of which nature offers frequent examples. Can the pos- 
sibility of artificial somnambulism be disputed, considering 
what we know of natural somnambulism ? The investiga- 
tion is the more expedient, because sooner or later it must 
be undertaken, in order to deprive charlatanism of a tool 
easily handled, and which has this pernicious tendency, 
that it affects only the enlightened class of society. In 
reply to the objection on the score of ridicule, medicine, says 
M. Guersent, has always been the butt of satire, and yet 
what injury has it sustained therefrom ? Has the Purgon 
of Moliere, or the Sangrado of Lesage, swept away a sin- 
gle fact 1 It will be no more ridiculous in you to investi- 
gate Magnetism, than it was in Lavoisier and Franklin, at 
the time of the first examination. He votes in favor of 
the report." 

The discussion is again adjourned to the next session. 

Session of the 14th of February, 1826. 

§ 16. " M. Gasc, whose name appears against the re- 
port, maintains that to appoint a committee would be to 
give up the ground of doubt ; that an investigation con- 
sented to, would be at once a presumption in favor of the 
doctrine of magnetizers ; moreover, that an investigation 
would settle nothing, and there would be constant appeals 
from whatever decisions might be passed. For the rest, 
what has Magnetism to show ? Convulsions, hysterical at- 
tacks, and epilepsy in women. Now we know that a thou- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 67 

sand different causes may produce these accidental affec- 
tions. M. Gasc is convinced, that in all cases where 
somnambulism is not feigned, the phenomena are only 
such as he has seen presented by an hysterical peasant 
girl, who talked during her fits, and forgot afterwards what 
she had said. He exposes the singular illusions of som- 
nambulists, and the impostures of certain women, who 
make a trade of their consultations. He saw at Charen- 
ton a pretended somnambulist, who took her specifics from 
a dispensatory, which she consulted at her leisure. At 
Paris, too, a child who, being transported to Paradise by 
his magnetizer, said that he saw there two great prophets 
at the right hand of God, and these two great prophets 
were Voltaire and Rousseau. (M. Francois, from his seat, 
' Yes, yes, that occurred at M. Chambellan's.') 

§ 17. " M. Lerminier votes in favor of the report of the 
committee. ' In my youth,' he says, f when I wished to 
form an idea of Animal Magnetism, my teachers referred 
me to the decision of Bailly and Thouret. The opinion 
of these great men had then a preponderating influence, 
and I adopted it ; but subsequently, new phenomena have 
appeared, in relation to which we cannot invoke judgments 
passed of old ; and when young people ask me what they 
ought to think of Magnetism, I know not how to answer 
them. I call for the formation of a committee for the en- 
lightenment of the Academy and myself. Let us beware, 
in refusing the investigation, of giving a fresh proof of the 
blindness of party spirit." 






68 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER V. 

ANSWER OF THE COMMITTEE TO THE OBJECTIONS MADE 
AGAINST THEIR REPORT, AND RESULTS OF THE SECRET 
VOTING ON THE QUESTION. 

Several members of the Academy, Messrs. Adelon, 
Gueneau de Mussy, Ferrus, Capuron, Honore, Briche- 
teau, and others, had recorded their names as supporters or 
adversaries of the report of the committee ; but M. Sal- 
made having moved the termination of the debate, his 
proposition was adopted, after a warm discussion. 

M. Husson, the committee's reporter, has the floor. 

" Gentlemen : — Your committee has procured a faith- 
ful copy of the objections made against the report which 
it had the honor of presenting to you, on the 13th of De- 
cember last, upon the question, as to whether the Depart- 
ment should devote itself to the study and investigation of 
Animal Magnetism. All these objections have been re- 
produced at two special meetings, and each of them has 
been made the subject of a searching discussion, of which 
it is right to present you a summary. 

"As, in the fulfilment of the mission you had confided 
to us, we were actuated solely by the desire of being use- 
ful to science and humanity, we first inquired of each 
other whether this laudable motive had not led us astray 
in the direction we had given to our labor : if such were 
the case, gentlemen, we were unanimously of opinion, that 
our only course was to make an honest avowal of our er- 
ror, to apologize for our intentions, and deplore a want of 
address, which would have led us into a path so directly 
opposite to our own views. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



" But we must confess, that after the most rigid attention 
to the subject, we have not been able to detect in the pro- 
position we have made to you, the impropriety and danger 
urged against it. Consequently, your committee have 
deputed me to make known to you that, deeming none of 
these objections sufficiently powerful to make them re 
nounce the conclusions contained in their report, they 
would again sue for the kind attention with which you re- 
garded their former labors, in listening to their answers to 
the objections, of which that report has been the object. 

" We slight none of these objections, gentlemen ; we 
accept them all as such ; and we will take care to impart 
to our answers a seriousness which we regret not having 
found in the attacks of certain parties. 

" We will therefore make no attempt to dissipate the 
fears expressed by one of our colleagues, lest by the ope- 
ration of Magnetism at a distance, some powerful magnet- 
izer, from his garret in Paris, should contrive to shake the 
thrones of China and Japan ; he will permit us also to de- 
cline following him to Eleusis into the temple of Ceres, or 
even into the cave of Trophonius in Bceotia. We will not 
animadvert upon the comparison he draws between the 
phenomena of the magnetized and those exhibited by the 
initiated in the mysteries of the Bona Dea. In fine, we 
will refrain from giving our opinion as to the identity he 
established between the conversations of somnambulists 
and the oracles of Pythia. We will likewise pass by un- 
noticed, the trees in the forest of Dodona and the Abbts 
de Cour, of which another of our colleagues reminded us. 
W T e will also say nothing of the Magnetism in bottles, for 
which one of our opponents expressed a wish. 

" All these fictions, all these exaggerations, have not to 
us any semblance of argument ; it is not, we think, with 
such light weapons that the motives upon which a serious 
delegation has rested an important proposition, ought to be 



70 PSYCODUNAMY. 

attacked. These weapons, moreover, may easily change 
hands ; and in that case, the controversy, instead of being 
dignified and severe, becomes an encounter of wits, agree- 
able enough, perhaps, but certainly futile and out of place. 

" You have doubtless remarked, gentlemen, that all these 
objections may be divided into two classes: 1st. Those 
which relate to the substance, the spirit of the report ; and 
2d. Those which attack its conclusion, that is to say, the 
proposal for an examination into Magnetism. "We will 
consider them in succession. 

" Our colleague, who took the lead in the discussion, 
has not made a fortunate choice in the objections he has 
directed against the compilation of the report. He told us, 
in the first place, that the parliament of Paris did not pro- 
hibit inoculation for the small-pox. Although this state- 
ment is of little importance in itself, we will answer it 
from the text, in the very words of the act of parliament, 
dated June 8th, 1763. 

" ' The Faculties of Theology and Medicine are hereby 
ordered to assemble, to give their precise opinions on the 
subject of inoculation ; if it be expedient to permit, pro- 
hibit, or tolerate it. However, in the mean time, a pro- 
hibition is laid upon the practice of this operation in the 
towns and faubourgs within the jurisdiction of the Court.' 
Our colleague was, therefore, in the wrong. 

" He next told you, in reference to the question of the 
emetic, that this medicament was at first denounced, but 
subsequently admitted by the Faculty ; and he came to 
the conclusion that we ought always to abide by the last 
decision. 

" But a last decision implies that there must have been 
a first : this last may be just as well followed by another 
as it was itself preceded by one previously rendered. 
Our adversary, then, has himself given support to our posi- 
tion ; and by the illustration he has selected, involuntarily 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 71 

acknowledged that another trial of Magnetism might be 
granted. 

" He added, too, that the opinions expressed in theses, 
and the verdicts we cited, can by no means be presented 
as arguments to be yielded to. We were so precisely of 
his opinion before we knew it, that we cited all these pro- 
positions and verdicts, only as proofs of that instability 
which always permits a fresh investigation. Lastly, he 
admitted that the examination of Magnetism, by the com- 
missioners of the king in 1784, was not what it ought to 
have been, but that a regard to propriety prevented the 
commissioners from strictly examining the persons experi- 
mented on. Your committee asserted nothing to the con- 
trary, and claims the benefit of this admission. 

" You will agree with us, gentlemen, that these are not 
objections, but rather our own arguments under another 
form ; you must, therefore, have shared our astonishment 
at the fact, that our colleague should have proposed the 
order of the day in regard to our report. According to 
the principles of sound logic, we ought to have looked for 
quite an opposite conclusion. 

" M. Virey, who, although not connected with the De- 
partment, came to take a part in the discussion, has, 
together with M. Bally, reproached your committee with 
having deduced from facts irrelevant to the question, mo- 
tives to the study of Magnetism. These gentlemen blame 
us for not having based the necessity for this study upon 
the affinity that may possibly exist between the magnetic 
action and the electric fluid ; between this same agent, or 
magnetic fluid, and the action of electrical animals, such, 
for instance, as the gymnotus electricus, and animals of 
prey, whose gaze seems to paralyze the weaker animals, 
and make them fall helplessly into their jaws. 

" Now, had we followed this course, we should have 
supposed the question altogether set at rest ; we should 



72 PSYCODUNAMY. 

have made a report on science already acquired, and not 
on the necessity of acquiring it : for to prove the relations 
of one object to another, is first to ascertain the existence 
of these objects, then to compare their essence, and lastly 
to pass a verdict on the characteristics common to both. 
This is precisely what ought to be avoided by a committee 
that is totally ignorant of the nature of Magnetism, and 
which is appointed for the sole purpose of judging wheth- 
er it is necessary to study it. Therefore we did not, and 
ought not to base our inferences upon arguments furnished 
by the subject itself, since by seeking for arguments in the 
problem to be solved, we should have prejudged the ques- 
tion. It was desirable to know whether Magnetism ought 
or ought not to be studied by the Department, and it was 
on this point only that we had to deliver an opinion. We 
should have transgressed the limits of our province, had 
we pronounced our verdict on the nature of this agent ; we 
should have entered upon the field of Magnetism, where, 
with greater hardihood than we possess, you declare that 
all is litigation, controversy, contradiction, and charlatan- 
ism. The facts to be verified being wholly scientific ones, 
and these alone constituting the foundation of the problem, 
it was impossible for us to avail ourselves of any sucb, 
without prejudging the question ; and wishing to prove to. 
you that a judgment in reference to science is never bind- 
ing on posterity, it became us to look beyond the subject 
itself, for instances of the possibility of a new investiga- 
tion, and even the motives for undertaking it. We have, in 
a word, sought to solve a previous question — the true 
ground of the pending question — from which all those en- 
listed against the report have stepped aside. 

" Lastly, M. Virey would have had the committee pro- 
test against the juggleries, and ridiculous practice, which, 
to use his own expression, sully and dishonor Magnetism. 
Now, if the committee have found fault with no proceed- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



73 



ing, it is because they could not censure certain ones 
without approving others : if they had done so, they would 
again have entered upon an investigation of Magnetism, 
which could not, and ought not to be. For the rest, gen- 
tlemen, we have no need to remind you that we expressed 
strongly our wishes on this subject, and that this very 
consideration of the juggleries and charlatanism of certain 
inagnetizers, was one of our chief motives for urging upon 
you the adoption of our conclusions. M. Virey's desire 
will infallibly be gratified, if the Department, as he pro- 
poses, decide to inquire into Animal Magnetism. 

" It has been found, and made a subject of reproach 
against us, that the report of the committee was an apol- 
ogy for Magnetism, and consequently that we went beyond 
our instructions. It does not become us to tell you, gen- 
tlemen, how circumspect and well-considered this produc- 
tion of ours was deemed by a great portion of this assem- 
bly ; but we have reperused it ourselves, and also submit- 
ted it to the perusal of persons to whom the question of 
Magnetism and its investigation is a matter of perfect 
indifference, and they have completely reassured us as to 
the importance to be attached to such a reproach. 

" In fact, we have faithfully copied from the report of 
the royal commissioners, first, the passages which show 
the manner in which they thought it their duty to proceed 
to the investigation of Magnetism ; secondly, the descrip- 
tion of the processes employed ; and thirdly, that of the 
effects which they themselves observed, and which, to use 
their own expression, seemed to them incredible. We 
compared the theory admitted in 1784, with that which is 
propounded by modern magnetizers. We compared the 
magnetizing processes of 1784 with those adopted at the 
present day. We compared the results obtained forty years 
since with those which are now proclaimed. In our state- 
ment of these results, we uniformly employed the doubtful 

7 



74 PSYCODUJSAMY. 

form ; the experiments of which some of our number had 
been witnesses, and those also which have been published 
by members of the Academy, were presented in our report 
as merely conditional facts. We admitted none as true ; 
we did not even speak of Magnetism as a diagnostic me- 
dium, or a therapeutic agent ; and yet, we are reproached 
with having made a report in favor of Magnetism, rather 
than on the necessity of studying it anew ! The brief 
analysis which we have thus given of our report should 
suffice to assure us that you have rightly estimated a re- 
proach which a simple statement of facts — a mere hint to 
refresh your memory — must have completely wiped away. 
" Reference is next made to the verdict of the commis- 
sioners of 1784, and you are told that you ought not rashly 
to accuse men of genius like Franklin, Lavoisier, and 
Bailly, of having passed an imperfect and inconsiderate 
judgment. Gentlemen, with the rare exception of such 
characters as Leibnitz, Newton, Descartes, and Lavoisier, 
men are no longer cited as authorities in scientific matters, 
when the sciences have continued to progress for forty 
years afterwards. What has now become of the reputa- 
tion of Boerhaave, Macquer, and Rouelle, considered as 
chemists 1 What has become of that of Nollet, Sigaud, 
Lafond, and Brisson, as natural philosophers ? What of 
the whole system of optics, as set forth even by Newton ? 
With the exception of his theory of colors, all this depart- 
ment of natural philosophy has been made anew within 
twenty years. He admitted the emission of light, whereas 
the received doctrine of undulations, as suggested by Des- 
cartes, is that which now prevails. With a view of rec- 
tifying the errors which he pretended had been committed 
by Huygens, in the theory of double refraction, he sub- 
stituted error for truth, and our celebrated contemporary, 
M. Malus, has proved that all the results obtained by 
Huygens were extremely exact. In a word, what has 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 75 

Decome of the reputation of the masters who instructed 
ours ? All have followed the immutable order of things ; 
all have yielded to the imperious law imposed by the 
march of intellect, which, proportionably to the march 
of time, will always render generations to come more 
rich in facts previously observed, and consequently more 
enlightened and better informed than those which have 
preceded them. No, we have not been wanting in the 
respect due to the great men who passed sentence on 
Magnetism in 1784 ; and having repeated here the expres- 
sions we made use of, we demand your appreciation of 
the reproach cast upon us. ' However great the lustre,' 
said we, ' which the reputation of Franklin, Bailly, Darcet, 
and Lavoisier, reflects on a generation beyond their own ; 
however profound the respect in which their memory is 
enshrined ; in spite of the general assent accorded to their 
report for forty years, it is certain that the judgment they 
passed has error for its very basis, by reason of their su- 
perficial mode of proceeding in the study of the question 
they were deputed to investigate.' 

" This is what we asserted, gentlemen, and this has 
even been conceded to us by one of our opponents. Ac- 
cuse, if you think proper, but, at all events, make a better 
selection of your grounds of complaint. 

" It is a matter of surprise to some, that we should have 
made no mention of Messrs. Laplace and Thouret, whose 
opinions and writings ought to counterbalance those of the 
persons we cited. 

"To this objection we reply, that, for reasons already 
stated, not wishing to launch into the question of Magnet- 
ism in itself, it behooved us to disregard all works publish- 
ed by different individuals, either for or against it ; our pro- 
duction is indebted to the labors of none but academical 
bodies ; and if we did* allude to some phenomena of som- 
nambulism, borrowed from modern authors, it was, we re- 



76 PSYCODUNAMY. 

peat, because these phenomena were unknown to the for- 
mer judges, and it was absolutely necessary to state them 
in order to engage you to verify them yourselves. 

" But, it may be urged, you cited M. de Jussieu. We 
did so : but M. de Jussieu was one of the commissioners, 
and Messrs. Laplace and Thouret were not. 

" Since we have alighted on this topic again, we must 
say, that the illustrations of our opponents were badly 
chosen ; and we hope to prove it to you. You will judge, 
gentlemen, how far these reproaches are merited. 

" M. Laplace, who is brought as an authority against 
us, thus expresses himself, page 358 of his work, entitled, 
' An Analytical Treatise on the Calculation of Probabili- 
ties :' — ' The singular phenomena resulting from an extreme 
sensibility of the nerves in some individuals, have given 
rise to divers opinions on the existence of a new agent, 
which has been called Animal Magnetism. The operation 
of these causes is of course very feeble, and may easily be 
interrupted by a great number of accidental circumstances. 
The fact, therefore, that it has not in several instances 
manifested itself, ought not to lead to the inference that it 
does not exist at all. We are so far from being acquainted 
with all the agents in nature, and their various modes of 
operation, that it would be unphilosophical to deny the ex- 
istence of phenomena, simply because they are inexplica- 
ble in the present state of human knowledge.' This, gen- 
tlemen, is the language of M. Laplace. 

" For the good of the cause which our adversaries are 
defending, ought they to have incurred the risk of our 
availing ourselves, to their prejudice, of a testimony which 
we had too much discretion to introduce into our report ? 
and ought they to have given us an opportunity of convert- 
ing to our own profit the very testimony by which they 
thought to overwhelm us ? 

" Let us pass on to M. Thouret. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 77 

" Two of our colleagues seem to have directed a per- 
sonal reproach against the Reporter, for having made no 
mention of the work of M. Thouret. No one here, gen- 
tlemen, has more reason to honor the memory of that cele- 
brated man than the Reporter ; and it gives him pain to be 
obliged to repel this reproach, by reminding you that on an 
occasion which cannot have been forgotten,* he alone, al- 
though unconnected with his family, made an urgent ap- 
peal to the justice of the Academy in behalf of the mem- 
ory of M. Thouret and the Honorable Duke de Laroche- 
foucauld. And it required some courage too, in those days, 
to raise the voice of gratitude and friendship within these 
walls. Although that voice was then heard in vain, it 
should have been raised anew, in honor of the friend and 
protector of his youth, had any injustice been committed, 
or any fresh slight seemed to stigmatize with reprobation 
a name so dear. But the Reporter thought it right to 
forego the pleasure of mentioning this name, for reasons 
he has already explained ; but since this pleasure is pro- 
cured for him, since the work on Magnetism, published by 
M. Thouret in 1784, is cited against us, we will say, that 
the title of this work alone proves that M. Thouret had no 
internal conviction that all which was then reported of 
Magnetism was error or deception. He knew too well 

* When the Academy of Medicine presented to the Minister of the 
Interior their first report on vaccination, (1823,) all mention of Messrs. 
de Larochefoucauld and Thouret was avoided, although the former had 
introduced into France this inestimable discovery, and the latter had 
most powerfully contributed to its propagation ; but M. de Larochefou- 
cauld had just fallen into disgrace, and M. Thouret was the brother of 
one of the partisans, and one of the most honorable victims of the Revo- 
lution. M. Husson alone had the courage to protest against this unjust 
omission ; but his efforts were unsuccessful. And yet several members 
of the Academy were under personal obligations to M. Thouret, and he 
was brother-in-law to M. Desgenettes. (See The Mercury, a journal 
of Psycodunamv, vol. 1, p. 93.) 

7* 



78 PSYCODUNAMY. 

the import of words not to give to his work an appropriate 
title ; and in entitling it, ' Researches and Doubts upon 
Animal Magnetism,' he doubtless made choice of these 
two terms, as conveying a combined allusion to the ana- 
lytical study he had made of Magnetism, and the uncer- 
tainty in which he remained as to his conclusions : his 
doubt was the result of his researches. And let it not be 
said that this is a mere dispute of words. Did M. Double — 
(whom we have great pleasure in quoting, because he has 
shown himself the most redoubtable of our adversaries,) 
did M. Double, we ask, in publishing his excellent and 
classical work on Semeiosis, give it the title of ' Researches 
and Doubts on Semeiosis,' seeing that Baglivi had ex- 
claimed, ' Quamfallacia sunt morborum signa V No : he en- 
titled it, ' General Semeiosis, or a Treatise on Symptoms 
and their Import in Diseases,' and he did so, consistently 
with the tenor of the arrangement, the substance of the 
doctrine, and the ensemble of the precepts which consti- 
tute this remarkable work. M. Thouret, on the contrary, 
headed his, ' Researches and Doubts,' because he therein 
states his doubts, knowing that the subject had need of 
further study ; and he who deems it an honor to have en- 
joyed his intimacy, whose heart still throbs with gratitude 
to him, who had ample opportunities of estimating the 
acuteness and accuracy of his judgment, may be allowed 
to believe, and also observe to you, that M. Thouret, in ac- 
cordance with the title of his work, must have made re- 
searches with a view to clear up his doubts. 

" We think we have satisfactorily replied to the re- 
proaches in question ; let us pass on to the real objections 
— those which attack the conclusions of the report. 

" You have been told, that Magnetism in its present 
state, is identically the same as that which received sen- 
tence in 1784 ; that the sole difference consisted in this, 
namely, that at the above epoch it was ' dressed a la fran- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 79 

caise,' a.r\& that in 1825 it made its reappearance 'clad in a 
plain frock-coat,' (M. Double, see p. 53 ;) and the inference 
thence drawn was, that it would be useless to investigate 
it anew. 

" The tone of this assertion may have appeared face- 
tious ; but, we ask, On what proofs was it founded ? what 
points of resemblance have been shown ? what arguments 
used to enable you to judge of this identity ? To all the 
evidence embodied in our report, no counter testimony has 
been brought to bear. We have, therefore, some reason to 
be astonished that our opponent should so soon have lost 
sight of the proofs by means of which we made it known 
that neither the theory, the processes, nor the results were 
the same. We could not be otherwise than surprised that 
all these proofs should have been passed over in silence ; 
that no pains should have been taken to refute them by op- 
posing facts, and that none of our gainsayers should have 
dared even to touch upon one of them. They have con- 
tented themselves with telling us that Magnetism had 
undergone no change, and seem to think their own assu- 
rance sufficient proof of the assertion — a singular and easy 
mode of procedure ! Magnetism, they go on to say, is 
wholly made up of error or deception, and all who profess 
to believe therein, may be ranked either among the dupers 
or the duped ; hence the inutility of an investigation. 

" It seems to us, gentlemen, that these harsh denuncia- 
tions not only prejudge the question entirely, but are, to 
use the mildest expression, passed inconsiderately. Our 
colleague, M. Itard, has already replied in a manner at 
once logical and gentlemanly to this rather uncourteous 
objection, and I should fear to weaken the force of his 
reasoning, by repeating to you that it needs but a division 
of this assembly, to impart immediately to the question an 
imposing character; to ensure its being discussed with the 
delicacy we all owe to each other, and which physicians, 



80 PSYCODUNAMY. 

divided in opinion upon any scientific topic, ought never to 
forget. What ! gentlemen ; because our limited intelli- 
gence cannot yet furnish an explanation of the cause of 
phenomena, which, we are assured, really exist — because 
these phenomena do not always present themselves when 
we seek to elicit them — because they deviate from the 
usual course of things which we daily witness, are those 
who observe them deceived — are they dupes ? and do 
those who produce them, and those in whom they are 
elicited, deceive — are they the dupers 1 Reflect, that 
among the persons you thus stigmatize, are men seated at 
your side, making part with yourselves, of the elite of the 
French Faculty of Medicine, enjoying with you the respect 
of the community, and, in fine, having an equal right with 
you to the deference which those who admit the existence 
of Magnetism do not fail to evince when warding off your 
attacks. To what should we be reduced, gentlemen, if a 
diversity of opinion afforded ground for insults ! 

" In order to deter you from the investigation of Mag- 
netism, an imposing description has been given of magnetic 
juggleries. Now who among us ever thought Magnetism 
exempt from them. And because a monstrous abuse has 
been made of any power, ought we to refrain from inquiring 
into whatever truth and utility it may possess 1 Upon this 
principle, how many objects would be excluded from your 
researches? for there is hardly any thing in medicine with 
which charlatanism has not tampered and juggled. By this 
rule you would make no inquiries into the state of the urinary 
secretion, because there are urinal doctors. You would no 
longer study fractures, because there are medical cobblers 
and joiners who profess to set nerves ; and you ought to 
lock up your medicine-chests because quack remedies 
furnish you with a thousand panaceas. And yet all these 
known abuses arrest you neither in your clinical researches, 
nor medical prescriptions. For the rest, gentlemen, in or- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 81 

der to give any validity to this objection, founded on the 
juggleries of Magnetism, it must be shown that Magnetism 
is wholly false. But let our adversaries demonstrate this, 
for it rests with them to furnish proofs. The demand can- 
not be made of us, who affirm nothing, dispute nothing, 
and who call for an investigation above all things. And 
if, as one of our colleagues (M. Laennec) has asserted, 
nine-tenths of the facts related of Magnetism are mere 
jugglery, why should not the remaining tenth, which he 
seems to have had the generosity to leave us, and in con- 
nection with which there are consequently no dupes nor 
dupers — why should not this portion be the object of inves- 
tigation? Be upon your guard, gentlemen, if you altogether 
reject the question, you must of necessity prove that all is 
false in Magnetism ; for a single phenomenon gives it a 
foundation, and the remaining tenth that has been left us, 
will always, in the eyes of the sober-minded, be an im- 
portant object of meditation for physiological physicians, 
and therefore a subject worthy of your examination. 

" You have been told that Magnetism had often done 
more hurt than good, — that it was of no utility in the thera- 
peutic art, — and that it was superfluous to accord thereto a 
fresh investigation. 

" This is at once a prejudication of the question, and a 
very illogical one. For if it has done more harm than 
good, it has some action or other. Moreover, this action 
being susceptible of modification by the enlightened prac- 
tice of physicians, it must necessarily follow, as in the use 
of other bold remedies, that more or less advantage will be 
derived from it, and that it ought to be inquired into. What 
would have been said of him, who having first seen an ani- 
mal perish by the application of a vial of prussic acid to 
its nose, should refuse to examine the properties of this 
acid, for no other reason than that the animal had died from 
having been made to inhale its aroma ? There is not one 



82 PSYCODUNAMY. 

of you that would not have betaken himself to the study of 
the operation of this terrible acid, the means of modifying 
its use, and thence applying it to the therapeutic art. By 
a parity of argument, gentlemen, the very announcement 
that Animal Magnetism is dangerous, ought to induce you 
to examine into it. 

" What if the same colleague, to whose objection we 
have just replied, tells us directly that Animal Magnetism 
is useless as a therapeutic agent ? Many more will tell 
you that they have used it several times, with success, in 
the treatment of various diseases. The authority of these 
is at least as credible as that of our opponent, and in this 
alternative what ought you to do ? what but examine into 
it again ? 

" But, it is urged, we cannot study the operations of an 
agent which has no relation either to the physical sciences 
or to what we know of organic nature, and in which there 
is nothing within the reach of the instruments furnished 
by the sciences of the day. 

" In that case, gentlemen, the royal commissioners, of 
whose celebrity you justly put us in mind, and whose 
decision you say we ought to respect, ought not to have 
passed this verdict : for most assuredly they had not in 
1784 reached the acme of science, any more than we in 
1826 ; and the experimental processes of that age were 
even less perfect than in our own. Besides, gentlemen, 
what matters it that our acquired knowledge is of another 
order from that which you were so unnecessarily reminded 
is essential in order to appreciate the wonders of Magnet- 
ism ? It is enough that facts have been observed through 
the medium of our senses, that they are elicited anew 
where there is a will to do it, and where the conditions 
necessary for their production are complied with ; nor can 
there be any need of searching the regions of imaginary 
space for the means of investigating them. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 83 

" We are likewise attacked on the score of having 
engaged you to follow the example of the physicians of 
Germany, a country that has given birth to sects of illu- 
minati ; and on the other hand, a eulogium has been 
passed on what is called the wise circumspection of the 
English, who have kept aloof from all discussions on 
Magnetism. 

" Strange reasoning this ! And so you seriously pro- 
pose to us to imitate the disdain or carelessness of English 
physicians! You reject our proposition because, you say, 
some fanatical minds in Germany have published mystic 
doctrines ! But our colleague, M. Marc, deeply versed in 
all that appertains to German literature, has given you a 
long and faithful enumeration of all the labors undertaken 
in behalf of Magnetism in the universities of Germany. 
He has told you the names of celebrated physicians who 
make it their study : several of these belong to your body 
by your having made choice of them as your associates. 
Is such language uttered in good faith ? Do they in sincer- 
ity propose to a learned body to remain behind a reflective, 
patient, and industrious people, and follow in the wake of 
another whom they extol for their haughty indifference to- 
wards the study of a subject which, as many of your own 
body, the literati of the north, and even the commissioners 
of 1784, confess, presents astonishing peculiarities ? And 
because in one nation a few enthusiasts have gone beyond 
the bounds of reason, is this a motive for believing all the 
literati of that nation to be fanatics, and that nothing can 
proceed from that part of the world that does not partake 
more or less of this contagious exaltation 1 Gentlemen, if 
Germany has produced men whose philosophical ideas are 
beyond the comprehension of other men, do not forget that 
it likewise gave birth to Leibnitz, Stahl, Euler, Reil, Blu- 
menbach, Stoll, Van Svvieten, and a thousand others, before 
whom none of us should be ashamed to bend. Above all, 



84 PSYCODUNAMY. 

do not search among exceptions for your rule of conduct : 
it were as reasonable to produce the face of a monster to 
prove to us that the human face has no regularity of form. 

" A citation is made, in order to divert you from the study 
of Magnetism, to the conditions recommended by M. Puy- 
segur for the production of magnetic effects, and you are 
asked what benefit can be derived from an unknown and 
incomprehensible agent — one which, in order to be sub- 
servient, demands from faith a determined will, and an ar- 
dent desire to do good. 

" How then, it is urged, can the members of a commit- 
tee, who of course include distrust in the number of their 
duties, ever present a combination of the requisite condi- 
tions 1 The magnetic phenomena, it was added, are so 
subtile, and so delicate, that the distraction caused by the 
presence of one incredulous observer is sufficient to prevent 
their being elicited ; how is it possible, then, to submit 
phenomena so fugitive to the investigation of a committee? 

" We answer, first, that these conditions are not so ab- 
solutely essential as they are supposed to be ; for the first 
time these phenomena presented themselves to him who 
made the experiment, he certainly did not possess these 
conditions. Being ignorant of the phenomena he had pro- 
duced, it is evident that he had neither belief, will, nor 
faith in regard to them. It is equally evident, that among 
modern observers, all those whose experiments have been 
cited here, Messrs. Georget, Rostan, and Recamier, far 
from having these conditions, were, on the contrary, alto- 
gether prejudiced against these phenomena — that they be- 
gan their experiments with distrust, rather than skepticism ; 
and yet they produced effects similar to those developed 
by operators whose moral dispositions were diametrically 
opposite to their own. What you have been told of the 
influence exerted by the presence of one unbeliever in 
Magnetism, is therefore not true ; so that this considera- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



85 



tion ought by no means to be presented to you as a motive 
for refusing the examination, since you yourselves have 
reported to us examples which defeat the objection found- 
ed on this pretended influence. An attempt has been 
made to persuade you, that according to the principles of 
magnetizers, the learned were less qualified than others to 
produce magnetic effects ; and consequently, that it was 
useless to propose, or expect from them an examination. 
But it is not required that the learned themselves make the 
experiments. It is not proposed to constrain your com- 
mittee, if you appoint one, to undertake the magnetic 
manipulations. It will suffice that they take place in their 
presence, that they direct them in what they may deem a 
proper course, that they remain the passive witnesses, in 
order to be the judges of them ; in a word, it is not re- 
quired that they should produce the effects, but investigate 
those which may be produced in their presence. 

" These effects, we are told, are only to be obtained by 
firm faith and blind confidence. 

" Let us open the ' Critical History of Magnetism,' by 
M. Deleuze, whence these precepts are said to have been 
taken. We read, page 56 and 57 of the first volume, ' The 
faith, of which so much has been said, is not in itself es- 
sential, for it is not the principle of magnetic action. This 
principle requires a will to do good, a firm belief that we 
possess this power, and entire confidence in its exercise.' 
By way of final analysis, this faith, which is rendered so 
alarming to you, is nothing but the will to produce effects, 
with the conviction that we can produce them ; in a word, 
the sui fiducia of the ancients. This interpretation, gen- 
tlemen, is by no means arbitrary. It agrees with the views 
entertained by the majority of the philosophers of antiqui- 
ty ; it was the opinion of Pythagoras, Plato, and Confucius. 
It is only required, that the experiment be made in good 
faith, and with a desire that it may succeed. And are not 

8 



86 PSYCODUNAMY. 

these the first qualifications that every experimentalist ought 
to possess ? This objection, then, ought not to deter you 
any more than the rest. 

" You have been told, gentlemen, of the moral dangers 
of Magnetism ; the very remarkable article from the new- 
Dictionary of Medicine has been read to you. M. Re- 
camier has quoted facts, which prove that during the mag- 
netic sleep libertines have taken a criminal advantage of 
the stupor of the senses in young magnetized females ; 
and he has, perhaps, justly alarmed you as to the dangers 
resulting from the absolute power of the magnetizer over 
the magnetized — a power which, according to the same 
observer, can place at his disposal their movements and 
will, and, consequently, their honor and life. This con- 
sideration alone, we have been told, ought to suffice to 
render Magnetism an object of reprobation, as giving cause 
of alarm for the public morality, and being, therefore, un- 
worthy of investigation. 

' In reply to this objection, we propose the following 
dilemma. The fact is either false or true. In the former 
case it will be an advantage to assure yourselves of its 
falsehood, in order to denounce it before the world with 
all the authority your characters give you ; it is even 
urgently requisite that you examine it in order to silence 
the scandal that may result from the credit of such an 
opinion. In the latter case, without previously judging of 
the dangers that would result from it to public morals, or 
of the means to be employed for warding off these dan- 
gers, who will presume to tell us that this fact is not wor- 
thy of serious investigation, that it is not one of the most 
astounding that the economy of human nature can present, 
and that it is not of a nature to rivet the attention of phy- 
sicians and physiologists ? The examination of it, there- 
fore, is not to be refused. 

" We admit, that it was with a view to prevent abuses 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 87 

so revolting, that M. Bally has attacked the directions 
given for the choice of a magnetizer, by authors who have 
written on Magnetism. We conceive that he fears the re- 
ciprocal influence of the sexes. But why, with intentions 
so pure, does he misconstrue facts ? Why pretend, for 
instance, that an operator who is to magnetize females 
must always be young, healthy, and vigorous ; and then 
demand, for the sake of morality, the appointment of sworn 
magnetizers ? 

" Your committee, in reply to this objection, would quote 
the following passages from the ' Practical Instructions on 
Magnetism,' published at Paris in 1825, by M. Deleuze, 
to whose morality every one here, even those who charge 
him with extreme credulity, pay just homage. He says, 
pages 168, 169, and 172, 'There will always be a great 
advantage in finding a magnetizer in one's own family. 
The ties of blood tend to strengthen the relation by a 
natural sympathy. The confidence and love existing be- 
tween husband and wife, between mother and daughter, 
and between near relatives, have already produced that 
affection and abandonment of self, which ought to unite 
the magnetizer and somnambulist, and which authorize the 
continuation of these sentiments when the treatment has 
ceased. I have said that females ought to be magnetized 
by females. I would add, that except in cases in which 
common sense demonstrates that it is a matter of indiffer- 
ence, they alone ought to be intrusted with the operation. 
Moreover, ceteris paribus, the best magnetizer for a wife 
is her husband ; for a husband, his wife ; and for a girl, her 
sister or mother. ' This quotation alone, gentlemen, proves, 
in a positive manner, what are the precepts which ought 
to regulate our choice of a magnetizer. A year has not 
elapsed since the author published them ; and however 
scrupulous your consciences may be, they ought to be 
perfectly reassured by the candor with which this essen- 



88 PSYCODUNAMY. 

tially virtuous man expounds and submits them to the test 
of physicians. To us it appears that the impression they 
must have made upon your minds is not that which can 
tend to corrupt, nor even such as would accrue from an 
expose of precautions absolutely ridiculous, and hence all 
the point of the objection is lost. 

" The proposition of your committee is rejected, from 
an apprehension lest the Department should expose itself 
to ridicule, and forfeit its respectability by devoting itself 
to the study of Magnetism. 

" The question, gentlemen, now assumes a graver as- 
pect, not intrinsically, but because some distinguished 
members of the Academy are fearful of compromising its 
dignity by the investigation we urge upon you. This feel- 
ing, honorable as it really is, and founded on the dignity 
of our corporation, doubtless deserves the greatest respect, 
the most delicate treatment. But we must agree about 
words in order to agree about things. The term ridicu- 
lous, is generally applied to that which justly excites 
laughter or raillery ; such, at least, is the definition given 
in the Dictionary of the Academy, a definition founded on 
the etymology of the radical word rider e. 

I 1 It follows, from this definition, that any thing which is 
calculated to provoke laughter or raillery, is ridiculous. 
Well, in our present position, divided in opinion as we ap- 
pear to be with regard to the expediency of submitting 
Magnetism to a fresh investigation, it is evident, that those 
who desire this investigation will appear ridiculous to those 
who oppose it, and the latter will appear so to those who 
desire it. It is impossible for you to escape from this in- 
evitable alternative, which from one direction or the other 
points the laughter or raillery against a portion of this as- 
sembly. You must yield to this necessity in all its force ; 
and in the alternative to which you are reduced, being no 
longer able to direct public opinion, enlightened as it is, on 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 89 

the question submitted to you, it remains for you to decide 
whether the laughter, raillery, or ridicule, ought to fasten 
upon those who shall declare themselves in favor of the 
examination of a question which has been a constant 
object of study with many of us, or whether it ought to 
alight on those who, having not yet studied, reject it. This, 
gentlemen, is the whole point at issue. It is here that 
matter for ridicule will be sought : for, at the present day, 
it is to be found no longer in Magnetism itself, as M. Guer- 
sent judiciously observed. It claims exemption from it 
now that enlightened and impartial observers, whose dis- 
tinguished talents no one here denies, have taken part in 
this long and important discussion. And do you think that 
no one will ridicule the indecision which seems to prevail 
here as to the propriety of granting a new trial to Magnet- 
ism ? Can you, gentlemen, consistently with the interests 
of the Academy, of which you are the self-constituted 
champions, can you hesitate as to what choice you should 
make ? Can you expose yourselves to the reproach of 
running counter to the spirit of the age, which everywhere 
proclaims the power of observation and experiment, and 
examines anew the best-analyzed phenomena 1 

" But this examination, they say, ought not to be made 
by learned bodies ; it is their office to appreciate and sys- 
tematize facts, and not to study them in the first instance. 
When memorials have been sent to you upon Magnetism, 
when the. government has called for a special study of this 
subject on our part, then you can and ought to take it up. 
Till then, beware of attending to a subject upon which it 
is so easy to be deceived ; and remember, that you ought 
not to expose the Department to the risk of compromising 
itself. These objections, gentlemen, are rather specious 
than solid. A learned body ought not to take up this inves- 
tigation ! On whom then will it devolve ? on individuals ! 
But what guarantee will they offer for their decisions ? On 

8* 



90 PSYCODUNAMY. 

what authority will they rest 1 Besides, in what particular 
is the proposed investigation inconsistent with the respect 
which a learned body owes to itself, and how does it incur 
any risk of violating propriety ? Were not the Royal 
Academy of Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, the Royal 
Society of Medicine, whose commissioners passed sen- 
tence on Magnetism in 1784, were not these learned bod- 
ies ? and is it not to their decision that you appeal to- 
day ? Make your choice, gentlemen, or allow us to re- 
peat to you, that no scientific authority as a learned body, 
is more competent than your own to judge this question. 

" The investigation was next held out as fraught with 
dangerous consequences. Fears were apparently enter- 
tained, lest the commissioners should be led into error, and 
having become the dupes of arrant juggleries, should in- 
volve the rest of the Academy as victims of the same. 
Mystification, you were told, is a matter of much more se- 
rious import for incorporated bodies than for individuals. 

" We do not think, gentlemen, that Messrs. Franklin, 
Lavoisier, Bailly, Leroi, and Bory, commissioners from 
the Academy of Sciences ; Messrs. D'Arcet, Majault, Sal- 
lin, and Guillotin, from the Faculty of Medicine ; or Messrs. 
Poissonnier Despecieres, Caille, Mauduit, Andry, and Jus- 
sieu, from the Royal Society of Medicine, saw any impro- 
priety in undertaking, in 1784, an examination, which the 
progress of science and new facts engage us to resume in 
1826. None of them incurred disgrace for having signed 
the reports they published. The learned bodies to which 
they belonged, have lost on that account none of their 
former celebrity, and we do not see why an investigation 
made at the present time should deprive a learned body of 
the respect which they preserved during an investigation 
of the same subject forty years ago. 

" We allow that an association ought to be more cau- 
tious than a private individual, as to the objects of its re- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 91 

searches, because its mystification is a more serious mat- 
ter. But it will be granted us in return, that tricks are 
not so easily played on bodies of men as on individuals. 
Let us add, that it argues a very indifferent opinion of the 
sagacity of your commissioners, to suppose that they will 
not be able to distinguish real from pretended phenomena. 
If those of our colleagues who oppose us have escaped 
from fraud, why should not your commissioners have equal 
penetration ? Are our adversaries alone and exclusively 
possessed of a proper degree of distrust, circumspection, 
and talent, for observation ? Be assured, gentlemen, that 
those whom you may select will not forget that they are 
exploring in' the name of the first medical body in the king- 
dom, and will neither compromise their own reputation nor 
yours by too precipitate a decision. It is an insult to those 
whom you honor with your confidence, to suppose that 
they will not fully appreciate and justify it. 

" It is added, that the government not having consulted 
the Academy on this topic, you ought to wait till its inten- 
tions are communicated to you. 

" How long is it, gentlemen, since you commenced the 
practice of bestirring yourselves only by order of the gov- 
ernment ? Except with regard to occult remedies, mineral 
waters, contagious diseases, vaccination — on which you are 
professionally consulted by the ministry — what department 
of science do you not study independently, and even re- 
ject memorials thereupon ? The higher powers, gentle- 
men, ask your advice, and often profit by your intelligence ; 
but they do not impose upon you such and such labors. 
Their omnipotence is not waited for to sanction the study 
of Magnetism any more than that of the absorption of 
poisons, the contagious nature of hydrophobia, or the re- 
searches of comparative anatomy. 

" You engage us not to take the lead in the study of 
Animal Magnetism : you wish not to turn your attention 



92 PSYCODUNAMY. 

thereto until memorials have been presented, and the labors 
of others communicated to you. 

"Now, since the day on which you appointed your com- 
mittee, you have received, even from foreign countries, a 
great number of letters on this subject, and the proposition 
of M. Foissac, which gave rise to all this discussion. Have 
you forgotten that already ? And what is this somnambu- 
list he places at your disposal, but a living memorial, a 
complete fund for experiment, that he places in your hands, 
begs you to examine, and which calls for your opinion ? 
Will you treat him differently from the rest of our brethren 
who send us memorials ? Is not that which he presents, on 
account of its singularity, at least as worthy of a gracious 
reception as those which you daily refer to committees ? 
Can you — ought you to answer his request otherwise than 
by occupying yourselves with the examination of his som- 
nambulist ? 

" It has been complained that a wrong course was 
adopted in this affair ; and it has been urged that the exam- 
ination of this somnambulist ought to have been confided to 
a committee of three, and that this isolated case ought not 
to have furnished ground for the demand of a special com- 
mittee to be formed for a general inquiry into Magnetism. 

"This objection, gentlemen, is easily answered. In the 
first place, it was not with the committee of which I am the 
organ that the idea of submitting Animal Magnetism to a 
fresh investigation originated. It is the idea of a physician 
unconnected with the Academy. This idea, expressed in 
a letter addressed by him to you, and in which he proposed 
that you yourselves should make experiments on a somnam- 
bulist that he had at his disposal, seemed so important that 
you considered it your duty to adopt it, and it thus became, 
so to speak, your own idea. 

" Remember, gentlemen, that as soon as this letter was 
read to you, M. Marc made you sensible of the necessity 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 93 

of turning your attention to the investigation of Magnetism, 
in order either to prove its existence or proclaim its false- 
hood. It was, in his opinion, the more incumbent on you 
to take this course, because the practice of Magnetism had 
for a long time been given over to charlatans, and persons 
for the most part ignorant of medicine ; and he proposes to 
you to appoint a committee to draw up a report on this sub- 
ject. 

" Remember, too, that the President remarked that the 
Department being totally unprepared for the proposition 
that had just been made, it would be more a propos to ap- 
point only a committee for the purpose of reporting upon 
the question, as to whether it was expedient that the Acad- 
emy should direct its attention to Animal Magnetism. This 
proposition was adopted by a large majority ; and the Pres- 
ident then called the names of the members he deputed, in 
the name of the Department, to report upon the previous 
question of the propriety of studying and examining Ani- 
mal Magnetism. It was in these express terms that, on 
the 11th of October last, you formed the committee which 
on the 13th of the following December, returned an affirm- 
ative answer to the question you had deputed them to ex- 
amine. 

" If, then, a wrong course has been pursued, you must 
blame yourselves for it, since it was you who proposed the 
question upon which we decided. As to ourselves, we 
faithfully obeyed your special order. We drew up the re- 
port which the Department required of us ; and all five of 
us enjoy the consciousness of having faithfully confined 
ourselves to the limits which you yourselves prescribed 
to us. 

" What if it is proposed now to divide the question — 
what if it is said that you ought to submit this somnambu- 
list to examination, by three commissioners who shall make 
you a separate report, and thereupon reject the proposal to 



94 PSYCODUNAMY. 

form a special committee for the investigation of Animal 
Magnetism 1 

" Our answer will be, that when this committee of three 
presents you its separate report on this individual topic, one 
of the following results will inevitably follow : it will de- 
clare the fact to be either true or false. Let us consider, 
gentlemen, what will be your position in each of these 
supposed cases. 

" In the first case, the fact being acknowledged as true, 
those among us who do not believe in Magnetism will tell 
me that the commissioners have been deceived — that they 
have not been attentive observers. They will adduce 
analogous facts, in which they will affirm that there has 
been imposture practised, and will not fail to declare that 
there has also been some trickery in that which has just 
been announced as true. Such of our colleagues as have 
already witnessed similar facts, will contradict the others, 
support the commissioners, and you will then have discus- 
sions without end. It will be impossible for you to found 
any opinion whatever on the conclusion of these three 
commissioners. 

" In the second case, the fact being declared false, the 
three commissioners will assert that this woman is not a 
somnambulist — that they have foiled and detected her. 
You will then see that those with whose works and ex- 
periments on Magnetism you are acquainted, will affirm, 
with more apparent truth than the former, that your com- 
missioners have not taken proper precautions — that if the 
experiments had been made as they will tell you they 
themselves have performed hundreds, the same results 
would have been obtained. In this inevitable position, 
gentlemen, how can you expect the question to advance? 

" It were well if the mischief ended here, but the in- 
evitable result of the report of these three commissioners, 
and the discussion to which it will undoubtedly give rise, 



^ ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 95 

will be, that corroborative and contradictory facts will be 
communicated in the memorials that will be poured in 
among you. You will certainly be obliged to make them 
known to the Department — to attend the reading of some 
of them — to submit all to the examination of commission- 
ers — to receive the reports of the latter upon them — and 
to listen to frequent and fatiguing discussions. 

" If, instead of these committees, small and easy of at- 
tack as they must be, you refer to one imposing and special 
committee the examination of this somnambulist, and all 
the memorials that may be addressed to you on Magnetism, 
you will place the Department in the only attitude that be- 
fits it — you will prevent its being eternally beset by these 
preachers of magnetic miracles — deprive the latter of that 
kind of celebrity which they expect to derive from the pub- 
licity of your discussions — put an end to these same discus- 
sions, of which many of you dread the effects — and econo- 
mize your time ; and the judgment of this committee, far 
more imposing than that of the three commissioners, mul- 
tiplied as they must be by the number of memorials pre- 
sented, will afford you, when they shall think proper to 
pronounce it, an indisputable guarantee, and a unity of 
views, such as you will never obtain from isolated com- 
missioners. 

" Thus vanishes by analysis all the apparent force of this 
objection ; thus crumbles, piece by piece, the cunningly- 
raised edifice of considerations, which appeared to make 
so deep an impression on your minds. 

" By way of final analysis, gentlemen, are you called 
upon to admit all that is related of Magnetism ? No. 

" Are you called upon to admit as demonstrated, all the 
concessions which our adversaries have made us, the re- 
maining tenth of M. Laennec, the experiments of which 
M. Recamier has told you he was the witness and per- 
former ? No. 



96 PSYCODUNAMY. 

" Are you called upon to admit as positive, or even 
probable, the facts published by those of our colleagues 
who have made a special study of this branch of science, 
phenomena which they tell you they have seen produced 
twenty or a hundred times, for weeks, months — ay, and 
for whole years, on different individuals ? No. 

" We only call upon you to examine these facts ; and 
would you refuse to comply with what demands neither an 
abandonment of your belief, nor a renunciation of precon- 
ceived opinion, nor even a sacrifice to your reason ? Are 
you not aware, gentlemen, that a refusal to examine in the 
ordinary affairs of life is an incipient denial of justice ? 
and that in a matter of science it is neither more nor less 
than the expression of a blind and culpable obstinacy ? 

" The investigation which we ask should be confided 
only to men well known for their wisdom and prudence. 
Let the committee which is to conduct it, be composed of 
those among us whose age, gravity, experience, and the 
rank they have held, and still hold, in the medical world, 
afford a guarantee for the impartiality of their judgment. 

" Include in this committee those who have thrown out 
the strongest objections to our report ; associate with them 
those who, without entering deeply into the subject of 
Magnetism, have, from a conviction of the necessity of in- 
vestigating it, expressed no other idea on the question at 
issue. 

" Complete the committee by summoning to it those who 
are known to have made a special study of physiology and 
natural philosophy. 

" With such elements as these you may rest satisfied 
that you will not be deceived ; your apprehensions with 
regard to the dignity and reputation of the Academy will 
vanish, and you may await with confidence the result of 
their researches. 

" Let this committee, so scrupulously organized, collect 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 97 

all the memorials that may be presented to you — all the 
facts communicated in reference to Magnetism ; let it 
cause former experiments to be varied, and invent new 
ones ; let it act alike independently of the proscription 
which has weighed upon Magnetism for forty years, and 
of the high importance which some are inclined to attach 
to it at the present day ; let the verdict which it may pro- 
nounce, not be made known to you until it has been justi- 
fied by long and repeated tests, invested with the ma- 
jesty of time ; — then, whatever it be, let us not doubt that it 
will at length settle the opinion of the learned, and point 
out to you, in a positive manner, what you have to fear, 
and what to hope, from this extraordinary agent, 
u The committee persists in its conclusions. 
(Signed) 

•" Adelon, 
Pariset, 
Marc, 

Bdrdin-aine, 
** Husson, Reporter? 

This eloquent reply was listened to with the most unin- 
terrupted attention, and greeted with almost universal ap- 
plause. The votes upon the conclusions of the commit- 
tee's report were forthwith given in by secret ballot ; of 
which the following is the result ; 

Number of votes „.„.,. 60 
For the proposition . , . . , 35 
Against it . . . . . . . .25 

Accordingly, the Royal Academy of Medicine adopts 
the proposition for appointing a permanent committee to 
devote itself to the study and investigation of Animal Mag- 
netism , 

9 



98 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER VI. 

REPORT UPON THE PSYCODUNAMIC EXPERIMENTS By THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF PARIS, 1831. 

" Gentlemen :— More than five years have elapsed since 
M. Foissac, a young physician, of whose zeal and power 
of observation we have had frequent opportunities of judg- 
ing, thought proper to direct the attention of the Academy 
of Medicine to the phenomena of Animal Magnetism. He 
reminded it, that among the commissioners appointed in 
1784 by the Royal Society of Medicine for the purpose of 
making experiments and reporting thereupon, there was 
one conscientious and enlightened man, who had pub- 
lished a report contradictory to that of his colleagues ; that 
since that time Magnetism had been the object of new ex- 
periments and new researches ; and if the Academy should 
see fit, he proposed submitting to its examination a som- 
nambulist, whom he thought calculated to elucidate a ques- 
tion which many talented men in France and Germany 
regarded as far from being solved, although in 1784 the 
Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of Medicine, 
had given their opinions against Magnetism. 

" A committee, consisting of Messrs. Adelon, Burdin- 
aine, Marc, Pariset, and myself, was deputed to report to 
you on the proposition of M. Foissac. 

" This report, presented to the Department of Medicine 
at its sitting of the 13th of December, 1825, concluded 
that Magnetism ought to be submitted to a fresh investiga- 
tion ; this conclusion gave rise to an animated discussion, 
which was protracted throughout the sessions of the 10th 
and 24th of January, and the 14th of February, 1826. On 
the latter occasion, the committee replied to all the objec- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



99 



tions that had been levelled at its report ; and on the same 
day, after mature deliberation, after an individual vote by 
ballot, (a method which had never before been adopted in 
matters of science,) the Department decided that a special 
committee should be directed to make fresh inquiries into 
the phenomena of Animal Magnetism. 

" This second committee, composed of Messrs. Bour- 
dois, Double, Fouquier, Itard, Gueneau de Mussy, Guersent, 
Laennec, Leroux, Magendie, Marc, and Thillaye, was nom- 
inated at the session of the 28th of February, 1826. Some 
time after, M. Laennec being obliged to leave Paris on ac- 
count of ill health, I was appointed to take his place, and 
the committee, thus constituted, addressed themselves to 
the performance of the duties intrusted to them. Its first 
care was, before the withdrawal of M. Laennec, to exam- 
ine the somnambulist (Mile. Cceline) who had been offered 
by M. Foissac. 

" Various experiments were made upon her within the 
walls of the Academy ; but, w T e must confess, our inexpe- 
rience, impatience, and distrust, which we perhaps mani- 
fested too plainly, only permitted us to observe certain 
physiological phenomena, rather singular, it is true, and 
which w r e will make known to you in the course of our 
report, although we saw therein none of the faculties of 
which she gave proofs on another occasion. This som- 
nambulist, harassed doubtless by our exactions, ceased at 
that period to be at our disposal, and we had to search the 
hospitals for the means of prosecuting our experiments. 

" M. Pariset, a physician connected with the Salpe- 
triere, might, more than any one else, have assisted us in 
our researches ; and he lent himself to this object with an 
earnestness which unfortunately produced no result that 
answered our expectations. The committee, whose hopes 
were in a great measure founded on the resources which 
this hospital might furnish, either on account of the indi- 



100 PSYCODUNAMY. 

viduals on whom its experiments would have been made, 
or the presence of M. Magendie, who had requested per- 
mission to follow them as one of their body ; — the commit- 
tee, we say, finding itself deprived of the means of infor- 
mation which it had hoped to find there, had recourse to 
the individual zeal of its members. 

" M. Guersent promised to exert his influence in the 
Hospital for Children ; M. Fouquier, in the Charity Hos- 
pital ; Messrs. Gueneau and the Reporter, in the Hotel- 
Dieu ; M. Itard, in the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb ; 
and, thenceforth, each prepared to make essays, of which 
he would invite the o*her members of the committee to be 
witnesses. Soon, other and more formidable obstacles 
arose to thwart our labors. The causes which may have 
given rise to these obstacles are unknown to us ; but by 
virtue of a decree of the general council of the hospitals, 
dated the 19th of October, 1825, prohibiting the use of 
any new remedy which had not been approved by a com- 
mittee nominated by the council, the magnetic experiments 
could not be continued at the Charity Hospital. 

" Reduced to their own resources- — to such as the par- 
ticular relations of each member could supply — the com- 
mittee made an appeal to all physicians known to be 
making, or to have made Animal Magnetism the object of 
their researches. They begged to be allowed to witness 
their experiments, to trace their progress with them, and 
establish their results. We declare that we have been 
fully gratified in our wishes by several of our fellow- 
physicians— especially by him who originated the question 
of an examination into Magnetism ; w T e mean M. Foissac. 
We have no hesitation in asserting that it is to his constant 
and persevering intervention, and the active zeal of M. 
Dupotet, we are indebted for the greater portion of the 
materials which we have collected for the report now pre- 
sented to you. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



101 



" Do not, however, think, gentlemen, that your commit- 
tee has, in any instance, confided to others the task of di- 
recting the experiments they have witnessed, or that any 
but the Reporter has taken up the pen, minute after minute, 
for the compilation of the verbal process vouching for the 
succession of phenomena which presented themselves — 
and that, too, as soon as they made their appearance. The 
committee have brought to the performance of all their du- 
ties, the most scrupulous exactness ; and at the same time 
that they do justice to those who have assisted them with 
their obliging co-operation, they feel bound to remove from 
your minds the slightest doubts that may have arisen, as to 
any participation whatever in the examination of this ques- 
tion by others besides themselves. Your committee have 
uniformly suggested the various modes of experimenting — 
traced the plans thereof — constantly directed their course 
— watched and recorded their progress ;— in fine, while 
availing themselves of assistance more or less zealous and 
enlightened, they have always been present, and always 
given a proper direction to all that has been done. 

" You will, therefore, understand that they exclude all 
experiments performed without the supervision of the com- 
mittee — even by members of the Academy. 

" Whatever confidence may be established among us by 
the spirit of brotherhood, and the reciprocal esteem by 
which we are all animated, we have felt that, in the inves- 
tigation of a question the solution of which is so delicate, 
we ought to rely on none but ourselves ; and that you could 
rely on our guarantee only. We considered, however, that 
this rigorous exclusion ought not to extend to a very curious 
fact, observed by M. Cloquet. We have admitted it, be- 
cause it was already, in a manner, the property of the 
Academy ; the Surgical Department having turned their 
attention to it at two different sittings. This restriction, 
which the committee have imposed on themselves, as to the 

9* 



102 PSYCODUNAMY. 

use of the various facts bearing upon the question which 
they have studied with so much care and impartiality, 
should entitle us to demand a return of the same, if any 
persons who have not witnessed our experiments should 
be inclined to raise discussions upon the authenticity there- 
of. For the very reason that we call upon you to give credit 
to that only which we have seen and performed, we cannot 
allow those who have neither seen nor performed any thing 
at the same time, and in concert with us, to attack or throw 
doubt on what we shall adduce as having come under our 
own observation. And as, in fact, we were always skep- 
tical as to the wonders which we were told would be de- 
veloped ; and as this feeling has uniformly been predomi- 
nant within us, during all our researches, we think we have 
some right to expect, even if we fail to enlist your belief, 
that you will express no doubt of the moral and physical 
dispositions with which we have invariably proceeded to 
the observation of the different phenomena which we have 
witnessed. 

" Thus, gentlemen, this, our report, which we are far 
from presenting you as one that is to settle your opinion 
on the question of Magnetism, cannot — ought not to be 
viewed in an}'- other light than that of an assemblage and 
classification of the facts which we have observed up to the 
present time. We offer it as a proof that we have tried to 
justify your confidence in us ; and while we regret that it 
does not rest on a greater number of experiments, we still 
hope that you will receive it with indulgence, and listen to 
the reading of it with some degree of interest. We think 
proper, however, to inform you that what we have seen in 
our experiments, bears no resemblance whatever to any thing 
that the report of 1784 adduces concerning the magnetizers 
of that epoch. We neither reject nor admit the existence 
of a fluid, because we have not proved it. We have noth- 
ing to say of the baquet or tub, the wand, the chain by 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 103 

which a communication of the hands of all the magnetized 
was effected — the pressure continued sometimes for several 
hours upon the lungs and abdomen — the vocal and instrumen- 
tal music with which the magnetic operations were accom- 
panied — or of the concourse of people who were magnet- 
ized before a crowd of witnesses ; because all our experi- 
ments have been performed in a perfect calm, as it were — 
in absolute silence, without any accessory means — never 
by immediate contact, and always upon a single individual 
at a time. 

" We have nothing to tell you of what, in the days of 
Mesmer, was so improperly called a crisis, and which con- 
sisted of convulsions — laughter, that was sometimes irre- 
sistible — immoderate weeping, and piercing shrieks, — 
because we have never met with these various phe- 
nomena. 

" We do not hesitate to declare that, in every respect, 
there is a great dissimilarity between the facts observed 
and pronounced upon in 1784, and those which we have 
collected in the production we have the honor of present- 
ing to you — that this dissimilarity constitutes a distinct line 
of demarcation between them — and if reason has done jus- 
tice to a great portion of the former, the spirit of research 
and observation ought to be exerted to increase and multi- 
ply the latter. 

"In Magnetism, gentlemen, as in many other operations 
of nature, it is essential that certain conditions should unite 
for the production of such and such effects. This is an 
indisputable truth, for the confirmation of which, were it 
necessary, proofs might be found in what takes place in 
several natural phenomena. Thus, without a dryness in 
the atmosphere, you can procure but a feeble development 
of the electric fluid — -without heat, you can never obtain an 
amalgamation of pewter and lead, which constitutes the com- 
mon solder of plumbers — without the light of the sun, you 



104 PSYCODUNAMY. 

cannot see the spontaneous ignition of a mixture of equal 
parts in volume of chlore and hydrogen, &c. 

" Whether these conditions be external or physical, 
like those we have just mentioned — whether they be in- 
ternal or moral, like those which Messrs. de Puysegur, 
Deleuze, and others assert, are indispensable to the devel- 
opment of magnetic phenomena — the fact that they exist, 
and are essential to them, made it necessary for the com- 
mittee to endeavor to bring them together, and a point of 
duty to comply with them. And yet we ought not, nor 
did we wish to rid ourselves of that lively curiosity which 
led us at the same time to vary our experiments, and baf- 
le, if possible, the practices and promises of certain mag- 
aetizers. 

" Nor was it our duty, either, to seek to explain these 
conditions ; that would have been a question of mere con- 
troversy, for the? solution of which we should have been 
no more prepared, than if called on to explain the condi- 
tions by virtue of which the phenomena of physiology 
take place, and how medicines operate as they do : these 
are questions of the same nature, and upon which science 
has, as yet, come to no decision. 

" In all the experiments we have made, the most pro- 
found silence has been observed, because we thought that 
in the development of phenomena so delicate, the attention 
of the magnetizer and magnetized ought not to be diverted 
by any thing extraneous ; besides, we were unwilling to 
incur the reproach of having endangered, by conversation 
and interruptions, the success of the experiment ; and we 
have always been careful, that the expression of our coun- 
tenances should neither produce embarrassment on the 
part of the magnetizer, nor doubt on that of the mag- 
netized. Our position, we are proud to repeat, has con- 
stantly been that of curious and impartial observers. 
These several conditions, which had in part been recom- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 105 

mended in the works of the respected M. Deleuze, having 
been well considered, the following is a statement of what 
we have seen, beginning with the modus operandi : — 

" The person to be magnetized seats himself on a con- 
venient arm-chair, or divan, sometimes even on a common 
chair. 

" The magnetizer. on a seat somewhat higher, in front, 
and at the distance of a foot from the former, seems for a 
few moments to be collecting himself, during which time 
he takes hold of the thumbs of the person to be magnet- 
ized, and remains in this attitude until he feels that he has 
produced an equal degree of heat in the thumbs of the 
person and his own. He then withdraws his hands, turn- 
ing them outward, places them on the shoulders of the 
other for about a minute, and slowly brings them down, 
with a kind of light friction, along the arms to the ends of 
the fingers. This movement, which magnetizers term a 
pass, is repeated five or six times. He next raises his 
hands over the head, keeps them there for a moment, 
draws them downward before the face, at the distance of 
an inch or two, as far as the epigastrium, over which he 
sometimes leaves them suspended for a while, sometimes 
presses the part with his fingers, and lowers them along 
the remaining part of the body and limbs, until he reaches 
the feet. These passes are repeated during the greater 
part of the sitting, which when he wishes to terminate, he 
extends them beyond the extremities of the hands and 
feet, shaking his fingers at each pass ; finally, he makes 
horizontal passes across the face and breast, at the dis- 
tance of three or four inches, by presenting his hands 
brought closely together, and then suddenly separating 
them. 

" At other times, he joins the fingers of each hand, and 
presents them at the distance of three or four inches from 
the head or stomach, leaving them in this position for a 



106 PSYCODUNAMY. 

minute or two ; then withdrawing them, and again bringing 
them near these parts alternately, with more or less 
promptitude, he imitates the movement a person would 
very naturally execute when wishing to shake off any 
liquid from his fingers' ends. 

" These several modes have been adopted in all our 
experiments, without attaching ourselves to one more than 
another, often employing but one, sometimes two ; and we 
have never been directed in our choice by the idea that 
one mode would produce a more prompt and marked effect 
than the other. 

" The committee will not follow, in the enumeration of 
the facts observed, the order in which they have been col- 
lected as to time ; it has seemed more proper, and, above 
all, more rational, to present them to you, classed accord- 
ing to the degree of magnetic action more or less strongly 
indicated by each. 

" We have therefore laid down the four following divis- 
ions : 

" 1st, — The effects of Magnetism are null and void on 
persons in good health, and, in some cases, on the sick ; 

" 2d, — They are but feebly indicated on others ; 

" 3d, — They are often the offspring of ennui, monotony, 
and imagination ; 

"4th, and lastly, — They have been seen to develop 
themselves independently of the above causes, very proba- 
bly by the effect of magnetism alone. 

" 1 . Effects null and void. 

" The committee's Reporter has on several occasions 
submitted himself to magnetic experiments. On one of 
these, being at the time in perfect health, he had the per- 
severance to remain seated for three quarters of an hour 
in the same position, with his eyes closed, completely 
motionless, and he declares, that this trial produced no 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 107 

kind of effect on him, although, the wearisomeness of the 
position, and the absolute silence which he had enjoined 
on all present, were quite calculated to induce sleep. M. 
Gueneau de Mussy underwent the same trial, with the 
like result. On another occasion, when the Reporter was 
tormented with very violent and obstinate rheumatic pains, 
he several times made trial of magnetism, but never ob- 
tained by its means the slightest relief, although most 
assuredly the intensity of his sufferings made him anx- 
iously desire to be rid of them, or at least to have them 
alleviated. 

" On the 11th Nov., 1826, our respected colleague, M. 
Bourdois, had been laboring for two months under an in- 
disposition which demanded particular attention on his 
part as to his daily manner of living. This indisposition, 
he told us, was not his normal state ; he knew the cause 
of it, and could note the moment of its departure. Under 
these circumstances, which, according to the assertion of 
M. Dupotet, were favorable to the development of mag- 
netic phenomena, M. Bourdois was magnetized by the 
same M. Dupotet, in presence of Messrs. Itard, Marc, 
Double, Gueneau, and the reporter. The experiment 
commenced at 23 minutes past 3 ; his pulse was then at 
84, a number which, by the statement of M. Double and 
M. Bourdois, is that of the normal state. At 41 minutes 
past 3, the experiment ceased, and M. Bourdois felt abso- 
lutely no effect from it. We only remarked, that his pulse 
had fallen to 72 beats, that is to say, to 12 less than before 
the experiment. 

" At the same sitting, our colleague, M. Itard, who has 
been affected for eight years with a chronic rheumatism, 
the seat of which was then in the stomach, and who was 
suffering at the moment from an accustomed fit connected 
with his disease, (we use his own expressions,) was mag- 
netized by M. Dupotet. At ten minutes before four his 



108 PSYCODUNAMY. 

pulse was at 60 ; at three minutes before four he closed 
his eyes ; at three minutes past four the experiment was 
terminated. He told us that while he had his eyes open, 
he thought he felt impression of the passing of fingers over 
his organs, as if they had received a gust of heated air ; 
but that after having closed them, and the experiment con- 
tinuing, he no longer felt that sensation. He added, that 
at the expiration of five minutes, he became sensible of a 
headache, occupying the whole forehead and the back 
of his eyeballs, together with a feeling of dryness on the 
tongue, although we ourselves observed that this organ was 
very moist. Lastly, he said that the pain he experienced 
before the experiment, and which he announced as being 
dependent on the affection of which he complained, had 
left him, but that it was generally very transient. We 
remarked that his pulse had risen to 74 ; that is to say, to 
fourteen pulsations more than before the experiment. 

" It is very true, we could have reported to you other 
observations in which Magnetism has manifested no kind 
of action ; but besides the trouble of citing facts that have 
resulted in nothing, we deemed it sufficient to let you know 
that three members of the committee had made experiments 
on themselves, in order to give you a more complete assu- 
rance of the sincerity of our researches. 

"2. Effects feebly indicated. 

" It cannot have escaped your notice, gentlemen, that 
the last fact of the foregoing series, presented a com- 
mencement of magnetic action : we have placed it at the 
end of the section, to serve as a connecting link with those 
that follow. 

" M. Magnien, M. D., aged 54 years, residing in the 
Rue Saint Denis, No. 202, walking with much difficulty, in 
consequence of a fall upon his left knee several years ago — 
and probably, too, of an aneurism of the heart, under which 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 109 

he sank in the month of September last, (1831 ,) — was mag- 
netized by the Reporter on the 1 8th, 1 9th, 20th, 21st, 22d, and 
23d August, 1826. The number of his pulsations was less 
at the close of five sittings than at the commencement : — ■ 
thus it fell from 96 to 90, from 96 to 80, from 77 to 71, from 
82 to 79, from 80 to 78 ; and at the sixth, the number was 
the same at the commencement as at the end, namely, 83. 
The inspirations were regular, except in one instance in 
which they numbered twenty at the commencement, and 
twenty-six at the close. M. Magnien constantly experi- 
enced a sensation of coolness in all the parts over which 
the fingers of the magnetizer were directed, and passed 
for a considerable length of time in the same direction. 
This phenomenon never once failed to develop itself. 

" Our colleague, M. Roux, who complained of a chronic 
affection of the stomach, was magnetized six times by M. 
Foissac, on the 27th and 29th of September — the 1st, 3d, 
5th, and 7th of October, 1827. He experienced first a 
sensible diminution in the number of inspirations, and beat- 
ings of the pulse — then a gentle heat at the stomach — an 
uncommon coldness about the face, (the sensation produced 
by the evaporation of ether,) — even when no passes were 
made before him — and lastly, a marked inclination to sleep. 

" Anne Bourdin, 25 years of age, residing at No. 15, 
Rue du Paon, was magnetized on the 17th, 20th, and 21st 
of July, 1826, at the Hotel Dieu, by M. Foissac, in pres- 
ence of the Reporter. This woman was suffering from a 
cephalalgia, and a neuralgia, which had its seat in the left 
eye. In the course of the three magnetic sittings devoted 
to her, we observed her inspirations increase from 16 to 
39, from 14 to 20 ; — and her pulsations from 69 to 79, from 
60 to 68, and from 76 to 95. Her head became heavy — 
she had a few minutes sleep — a diminution of the pain in 
her head ; but no effect was produced on the neuralgia. 

" Theresa Tierlin was magnetized on the 22d, 23d, 24th, 
10 



110 PSYCODUNAMY. 

29th, and 30th of July, 1 826. She had come to the Hotel 
Dieu, complaining of pains in the abdomen, and in the re- 
gion of the loins. During five magnetic sittings, we saw her 
inspirations increase from 15 to 17, from 18 to 19, from 20 
to 25, and decrease from 27 to 24 ; and her pulse rise from 
118 to 125, from 100 to 120, from 100 to 113, from 95 to 98, 
and from 1 17 to 120. We remarked that this woman was ap- 
parently afraid of the movements of the magnetizer's fingers 
and hands — that she shrank from them by drawing back her 
head — that her eyes followed so as to keep them in sight, 
as though she dreaded some harm from them. She was 
evidently rendered very uneasy during the five sittings. 
We noted other effects in her, such as frequent and long 
sighs, at times interrupted by sobs — a snapping and lower- 
ing of the eyelids — a rubbing of the eyes — a frequent swal- 
lowing of saliva, (a symptom which, in other magnetized 
persons, uniformly preceded sleep,) — and lastly, a cessa- 
tion of the pain in her loins. 

" The committee, in connecting these facts, have only 
had it in view to fix your attention upon the series of physi- 
ological phenomena developed in the last two. They can- 
not attach any importance to the partial amelioration which 
took place in the symptoms of the very insignificant dis- 
eases of these two women. If the diseases really existed, 
time and repose may have overcome them. If not, as is 
too often the case, the feint must have ceased without the 
operation of Magnetism. Therefore, gentlemen, we have 
presented them to you only as the first elements, so to 
speak, of magnetic action, which you will see more and 
more clearly evinced, as we proceed with the other divi- 
sions we have established. 

"3. Effects produced by ennui, monotony, and imagination. 

" The committee have had frequent occasion to remark 
that the monotonous uniformity of the gestures, the almost 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. Ill 

religious silence maintained during the experiments, the 
ennui occasioned by remaining constantly in the same po- 
sition, have put to sleep several individuals who were not 
however submitted to the magnetic influence, but Avhose 
sensations, physical as well as moral, were the same as 
when previously put to sleep by it ; in such cases, we 
could not but recognise the power of imagination, a power 
in virtue of which these persons, believing themselves 
magnetized, were affected as if they really had been 
so. We will mention particularly the following observa- 
tions : — 

" Miss Lemaitre, of the age of twenty-five, had been affect- 
ed with the ' gutta serend for three years, when she entered 
the Hotel Dieu. She was magnetized on the 7th, 13th, 
14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22d of 
July, 1826. We will not now repeat the various phenom- 
ena which marked the commencement of the magnetic 
action, having detailed them in the preceding section, such 
as the winking and drooping of the eyelids, the rubbing 
of the eyes as if to rid herself of a disagreeable sensation, 
the sudden lowering of the head, and swallowing of the 
saliva. These are, as has been said, signs which we 
have constantly observed, and to which we shall not again 
allude. We will merely state, that we remarked an in- 
cipient drowsiness at the close of the third sitting, which 
continued to increase until the eleventh ; that on and after 
the fourth, convulsive movements of the muscles of the 
neck and face, the hands and shoulders, became apparent ; 
and that at the termination of each sitting, we detected a 
quicker pulse than at the beginning. But what ought most 
to fix your attention, is, that after having been magnetized 
ten times, and having appeared during the last eight more 
and more sensible of the action of magnetism, M. Dupotet, 
her magnetizer, took his seat behind her, by request of the 
Reporter, (at the eleventh sitting, viz., on the 20th of July,) 



112 PSYCODUNAMY. 

without making the slightest gesture, without any inten- 
tion of magnetizing her, and yet she felt a greater inclina- 
tion to sleep than on the preceding days, but less agitation 
and fewer convulsive movements. However, no sensible 
improvement in her sight took place from the first to the 
last experiment, and she left the Hotel-Dieu in no better 
state than when she entered it, 

" Louise Ganot, a servant, living at No. 19 Rue du Bat- 
toir, and admitted into the Hotel-Dieu on the 18th of 
July, 1826, to .be treated in the Salle St. Roch, No. 17, 
for a white swelling, was magnetized daily by M. Dupotet, 
from the 21st to the 28th of July, 1826. She was said to 
be subject to nervous attacks : and, in fact, convulsive 
movements of the nature of those which characterize hys- 
terics were uniformly developed in her at each magnetic 
sitting, such as plaintive cries, a stiffness and wringing of 
the upper limbs, an inclination of the hand towards the 
epigastrium, a bending of the whole body so as to form an 
arch the concavity of which was the back ; and lastly, sev- 
eral minutes of sleep closed the scene. 

" At the sixth sitting, (on the 26th of July,) M. Dupotet 
placed himself in front of her, at the distance of two feet, 
without touching her, or making any gesture whatever, but 
Avith a decided intention of magnetizing her : the excite- 
ment, the convulsive movements, the stiffening of the arms 
became quickly manifest, as at the previous sittings. On 
the following day, the patient being seated in the large 
arm-chair which had been made use of during the previous 
experiments, we stationed M. Dupotet behind her ; conse- 
quently the back of the chair w r as interposed between the 
magnetized and the magnetizer. He did no more than 
point with his fingers towards the middle of her back, and 
soon the convulsive movements of the days previous were 
manifested still more violently, and she frequently turned 
back her head. She told us, when awake, that she did 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 113 

so, because it seemed to her that something operating be- 
hind her chair annoyed her. 

" Lastly, having on the 26th and 27th of July observed 
the development of the magnetic phenomena, produced in 
one instance simply by intention, and in the other by very 
slight gestures, (the pointing of the fingers,) executed be- 
hind the said female, and without her knowledge, we de- 
sired to try whether the same phenomena would be elicited 
in the absence of the magnetizer, and by the mere effect 
of imagination. This actually took place on the 28th of 
July. Madame Ganot exhibited symptoms precisely simi- 
lar to those which attended the former experiments, the hour 
of the day was the same, (half-past five, a. m.,) the place 
the same, there was the same silence, the same arm-chair, 
the same persons present, the same preparations ; every 
thing, in short, was as on the six previous days, the mag- 
netizer alone was wanting — he had remained at home. 
The same convulsive movements appeared, with a little 
less promptitude and violence perhaps, but having the 
same characteristics. 

" A man of twenty-seven, subject ever since the age of 
fifteen to epileptic fits, was magnetized fifteen times at the 
Hotel-Dieu, from the 27th of June to the 17th of July, 
1826, by the committee's Reporter. Sleep began to be in- 
duced at the fourth sitting, on the 1st of July ; it was 
sounder at the fifth, on the 2d of the same month ; but du- 
ring the subsequent ones, it was rather light, and easily 
interrupted either by noise or questioning. The Reporter 
magnetized him at the 13th and 14th, placing himself be- 
hind the arm-chair in which the man was seated. At the 
fifteenth sitting, which took place on the 17th of July, he 
continued, like Madame Ganot, to make the same mani- 
festations as from the commencement of the experiments : 
the Reporter in like manner took his place behind the arm- 
chair, and the same phenomena of sleepiness were man- 
10* 



114 PSYCODTTNAMY. 

ifested, although, he had not magnetized him. We have 
necessarily concluded, from this series of experiments, that 
this epileptic and these two females experienced the same 
effects when they were magnetized, and when they thought 
they were so ; consequently, that the imagination sufficed 
to elicit in them phenomena which, through inattention or 
preoccupation of mind, might have been attributed to mag- 
netism. 

" But we readily acknowledge that there are several other 
cases as cautiously observed as the rest, and in which it 
would have been difficult for us not to admit Magnetism 
as the cause of these phenomena. We place them in our 
fourth class. 

4. Effects resulting very probably from Magnetism alone. 

" A child 28 months old, subject, like his father, of 
whom mention will be made hereafter, to epileptic fits, 
was magnetized at the residence of M. Bourdois, by M. 
Foissac, on the 6th of October, 1827. Almost imme- 
diately after the commencement of the passes, the child 
rubbed his eyes, leaned his head on one side, rested it on 
one of the cushions of the settee on which he had been 
placed, yawned, shook himself, scratched his head and 
ears, seemed to struggle against the drowsiness that came 
over him, and soon got up, grunting, if we maybe allowed 
the expression. He expressed a desire to urinate, which 
having done, he was again magnetized for a few mo- 
ments ; but as the inclination to sleep was not so marked 
as before, the experiment was terminated. 

" In connection with the above-cited fact we place that 
of a deaf and dumb person, 18 years of age, and for a 
long time past subject to very frequent attacks of epilepsy, 
on whom M. Itard desired to try the operation of Magnet- 
ism. This young man was magnetized fifteen times by 
M. Foissac. We have not only to say in this case that the 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY 



115 



epileptic fits were suspended during the sittings, and did 
not return till the expiration of eight months, (an unprece- 
dented respite in the history of his disease.) but also that 
the phenomena which this young man experienced, and 
to which the greatest importance is to be attached, were 
a heaviness of the eyelids, a general numbness, an incli- 
nation to sleep, and at times a swimming in the head. 

" A still stronger action was observed upon a member 
of the committee, M. Itard, who on the 11th of November, 
1826, had suffered himself to be experimented on, as we 
have said, without feeling any effect. When magnetized 
by M. Dupotet, on the 27th October, 1827, he experienced 
a sensation of drowsiness without sleep, a marked irrita- 
tion of the nerves of his face, convulsive twitchings about 
the nostrils, the muscles of his face and jaws, an afflux of 
saliva into his mouth of a metallic taste, a sensation simi- 
lar to that which had been produced in him by galvanism. 
The first two sittings brought on a headache, which lasted 
several hours ; and at the same time his usual pains were 
greatly diminished. A year afterwards, M. Itard, who 
suffered from pains in the head, was magnetized eighteen 
times by M. Foissac. The operation almost invariably 
produced a flow of saliva, which on two occasions had a 
metallic taste ; there were but few muscular movements 
and contractions observed, with the exception of now and 
then a twitching in the tendons of the muscles of the fore- 
arms and legs. M. Itard informed us, that his headache 
had ceased each time after a sitting of from 12 to 15 
minutes ; that it had entirely left him at the ninth, when 
it was brought on again by an interruption of the magnetic 
treatment for three days, and again driven away by its 
means. He experienced during the experiment a comfort- 
able sensation throughout the whole system, an inclination 
to agreeable sleep, a drowsiness accompanied by vague 
yet pleasant reveries ; his disease underwent, as before, a 



116 PSYCODUNAMY. 

marked amelioration, which was not of long duration after 
the cessation of the magnetic treatment. 

" These three observations have appeared to your com- 
mittee well worthy of remark. The two individuals who 
are the subjects of the first two, — namely, the child 28 
months old, and the deaf and dumb man, — are ignorant of 
what is done to them : the first is not of an age to know 
it, and the second has never had the least idea concerning 
Magnetism. Both, however, are sensible of its operation ; 
and most assuredly, this sensibility can in neither of them 
be attributed to the imagination. Can it with any more 
reason be traced to this source in the observation we 
have reported in reference to M. Itard ? 

" It is not upon men of our own age, and, like us, al- 
ways on our guard against the errors of mind, and of the 
senses, that the imagination, in the light in which we are 
now considering it, has any hold. It is, at our time of 
life, enlightened by reason, and stripped of those fascina- 
tions which lead youth astray ; it is ever on the alert, and 
distrust rather than confidence presides over the operations 
of our minds. These characteristics are happily united 
in our colleague ; and the Academy knows him too well 
to deny his having felt what he says he has felt. His 
veracity was the same both on the 11th of November, 
1826, when he declared that he experienced no effect, 
and on the 27th of October, 1827, when he asserts be- 
fore you his having been sensible of the action of Mag- 
netism. 

" The sleepiness observed in the three cases just re- 
ported, has appeared to us to be the passage from the 
waking state to that which is called the magnetic sleep, or 
somnambulism, terms which your committee have judged 
inappropriate, as calculated to convey wrong ideas ; but 
which, being unable to change, they have been compelled 
to adopt. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 117 

" When the individual submitted to the magnetic action 
is in a somnambulic state, magnetizers assure us, that he 
usually hears only the person who magnetizes him, and 
those who are put in communication with him by the join- 
ing of hands, or some other immediate contact. Accord- 
ing to their theory, the somnambulist's external organs of 
sense are all, or nearly all, deadened, and yet he has sen- 
sations. They add, that there is awakened in him what 
may be termed an internal sense, a kind of instinct, which 
enlightens him, either in reference to his own well-being, 
or that of the persons w T ith whom he is in communica- 
tion. As long as the somnambulism lasts, he is, they say, 
subjected to the influence of the one who magnetizes him, 
and seems to obey him with unreserved docility, without 
any manifestation, either by word or gesture, of his will, 
which is expressed strongly, but internally. 

" This singular phenomenon, gentlemen, has been 
deemed by your committee the more worthy of attention 
and research, inasmuch as it was unknown (although 
Bailly seemed to have had a faint glimpse of it) when 
magnetism was submitted to the examination of the king's 
commissioners in 1784; and as it was, moreover, for the 
sake of studying this very point that M. Foissac disinter- 
red, as it were, the question of magnetism. 

" In reference to a subject of which charlatanism might 
so easily avail itself, and which appeared to us to deviate 
so far from the previous range of human knowledge, your 
committee have felt obliged to be extremely severe as to 
the kind of proofs to be admitted as evidence of this phe- 
nomenon ; and, at the same time, to be continually on 
their guard against the fallacy and imposture of which 
they had reason to fear being made the dupes. 

" The committee claim your aitention to the following 
observations, arranged in such a manner as to present you 
with a constantly increasing progression of somnambulic 



118 PSYCODUNAMY. 

phenomena ; this being the proper method of rendering 
them more and more evident to you. 

" Mile. Louise Delaplane, sixteen years of age, living 
at No. 9 Rue Tirechape, was suffering from a menstrual 
suppression, accompanied by pains, a tension, and swell- 
ing of the abodmen, when she entered the Hotel-Dieu, 
June 13th, 1826. The application of leeches to the vulva, 
baths, and a usually appropriate treatment, having failed 
to give relief, she was magnetized by M. Foissac, daily, 
from the 22d to the 28th of June, 1826; she fell asleep at 
the first sitting, at the end of eight minutes. She was 
spoken to but did not answer ; a tin screen was thrown 
down near her, she remained perfectly motionless ; a glass 
vial was forcibly broken, she started and awoke. At the 
second sitting, she replied by affirmative and negative mo- 
tions of the head to the questions addressed to her. At 
the third, she gave us to understand that in two days she 
would speak, and point out the nature and seat of her dis- 
ease. Although pinched so hard as to raise an ecchymo- 
sis, she gave no sign of sensibility. A vial of sal-ammo- 
niac was unstopped under her nose. She was insensible 
at the first inspiration. At the second she raised her 
hand to her nose. Upon awaking, she complained of pain 
in the part that had been pinched and bruised. The same 
vial of sal-ammoniac was presented to her, and at the 
first inspiration she hastily drew back her head. The 
parents of the girl determined to withdraw her from the 
HOtel-Dieu, when they heard that she was under magnetic 
treatment. She was, however, magnetized three or four 
times more. During all these experiments she never 
spoke, replying merely by signs to the various questions 
addressed to her. Let us add, that although insensible to 
the tickling of a feather thrust into her nostrils, passed 
over her lips and the wings of her nose, as well as to the 
noise of a plank thrown heavily upon a table, she yet 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 119 

awoke at the sound of a copper basin thrown upon the 
floor, and at that of a purse of silver coin, which, on an- 
other occasion, was emptied from a considerable height 
into the same basin. 

" At another time, December 9th, 1826, M. Dupotet, in 
presence of the committee, magnetized a man named Bap- 
tiste Chamet, a carman of Charonne, whom he had mag- 
netized for the last time two or three years before. In 
eight minutes, being asked repeatedly if he were asleep, 
he gave an abrupt and affirmative nod ; to several ques- 
tions he made no reply. As he appeared to be suffering, 
he was asked what it was that pained him — he laid his 
hand on his chest. Being again asked what part it was, 
he then answered, " the liver," and still pointed to his 
breast. M. Guersent pinched him very severely on the 
left wrist, and he evinced no pain. Some one unclosed 
his eyelid, which with difficulty gave way, and the globe 
of the eye appeared to be turned as if convulsively towards 
the top of the orbit, and the pupil remarkably contracted. 

" The committee have observed in the two observations 
thus consecutively reported, the first outline of somnambu- 
lism ; of that faculty, by means of which magnetizers as- 
sert that in this sleep of the external organs of sense, there 
is developed in the magnetized an internal sense, and a 
kind of instincts, capable of manifesting themselves by 
external and rational acts. In each of the cases reported 
above, the committee have, in fact, seen either signs or 
words returned in answer to questions asked ; or promises, 
which, it is true, have always lacked fulfilment, but which 
bear traces of the expression of an incipient intelligence. 
The three following observations will prove to you with 
what distrust we ought to regard the promises of certain 
pretended somnambulists. 

" Mile. Josephine Martineau, nineteen years of age, 
living at No. 37 Rue Saint Nicholas, had been affected 



120 PSYCODUNAMY. 

with a chronic gastritis for three months when she entered 
the Hdtel-Dieu, August 5th, 1826. She was magnetized 
by M. Dupotet, in the Reporter's presence, for fifteen days 
in succession, from the 7th to the 21st of the same month, 
twice between the hours of four and five in the afternoon, 
and thirteen times between six and seven in the morning. 
She was put to sleep for the first time at the second sit- 
ting, and at the fourth she answered the questions put to 
her. We will not repeat to you, that at the close of each 
sitting, her pulse was quicker than at the commencement ; 
that she retained no recollection of what happened during 
the sleep. These are common phenomena, which have 
already been well established in the cases of other mag- 
netized persons. We have now to do with somnambulism, 
and it is this phenomenon we sought to observe in Mile. 
Martineau. In her sleep she said she did not see the 
persons present but heard them, and yet no one spoke. 
Upon being questioned on this point, she replied that she 
heard them when they made any noise ; she said she 
should never be cured until she took purgative medicine. 
She prescribed, to this end, three ounces of manna, and 
some English pills to be taken two hours after the manna. 
On the morrow and the day after, the Reporter gave her 
no manna, but administered four pills made of the crumb 
of bread ; during these two days she had four stools. She 
said she should awake once in five minutes, and again in 
ten, and she did not till after the expiration of seventeen 
and sixteen. She announced that on a certain day she 
would furnish us the details of the nature of her disease. 
The day arrived, and she told us nothing. In short, she 
was constantly at fault. 

" M. de Geslin, residing at No. 37 Rue de Grenelle-Saint 
Honore, wrote to the committee on the 8th of July, 1826, 
fhat he had at his disposal a somnambulist, a lodger in 
the same house with him — Madame Couturier, aged 30, 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



121 



a worker in lace, who, among other faculties, possessed 
that of reading the thoughts of her magnetizer, and exe- 
cuting the orders he transmitted to her mentally. The 
proposal of M. de Geslin was too important not to be ac- 
cepted with eagerness. M. Gueneau and the Reporter 
availed themselves of his invitation. M. de Geslin re- 
peated the assurances he had given us in his letter as to 
the surprising faculties of his somnambulist ; and having 
put her to sleep by the usual process, invited us to make 
known to him what we desired her to do. 

" One of us, the Reporter, stationed himself at a bureau, 
to make correct notes of all that might happen ; and the 
other, M. Gueneau, undertook to write the orders we 
wished to have transmitted to the magnetized person. M. 
Gueneau wrote on a piece of paper the following words : 
* Go and seat yourself upon that stool in front of the 
piano.' M. de Geslin penetrating himself with this wish, 
told the somnambulist to perform what he mentally re- 
quested her. She rose from her seat, and placing herself 
before the clock, said : • 'Tis twenty minutes past nine.' 
M. de Geslin informed her that that was not what he 
asked — she then went into the adjoining room. She was 
made to understand that she was again mistaken — she re- 
sumed her seat. She was requested to scratch her fore- 
head — she stretched out her right hand, but did not execute 
the required movement. She was desired to seat herself 
at the piano — she went to a window six feet distant from 
the instrument. The magnetizer complained that she did 
not perform what he in thought requested — -she rose, and 
took another chair. We required that when M. de Geslin 
raised his hand, the somnambulist should do the same, and 
keep it in that position until the magnetizer should let his 
fall again — she lifted her hand, but held it motionless, an4 
did not lower it until five minutes after that of M. de 
Geslin fell. The back of a watch was shown to her— she 
11 



122 PSYCODUNAMY. 

said it was 35 minutes past nine, whereas the hand pointed 
to seven. She said it had three hands, and it had but two. 
A watch with three hands was substituted for it, and she 
said there were but two — that it wanted 20 minutes of 
nine, and by the watch it was 25 minutes past nine. She 
was put in communication with M. Gueneau, and in respect 
to his health, made statements altogether erroneous, and in 
glaring contradiction to what our colleague had written on 
the subject before he made the experiment. In fine, this 
Madame Couturier kept none of the promises she had made 
us ; and we are warranted in the belief that M. de Geslin 
had not taken all the proper precautions against being led 
into error, and that this was the cause of his faith in the 
extraordinary faculties attributed to her. 

" M. Chapelain, M. D., residing at the Cour Batave, No. 
3, informed the committee, on the 14th of March, 1828, 
that a woman living in his house, and who had been re- 
ferred to him by our colleague, M. Caille, had announced, 
when in a state of magnetic somnambulism, that on the 
morrow, at 11 o'clock at night, she should pass a tsenia 
(tape-worm) of an arm's length. The committee had too 
strong a desire to witness the result of this announcement 
to slight the opportunity offered. Messrs. Itard, Thillaye, 
and the Reporter, accompanied by two members of the 
Academy, Messrs. Caille and Virey, together with Dr. 
Dance, the present physician to the Cochin Hospital, re- 
paired on the morrow, (the 15th,) at three minutes before 
11, to this woman's dwelling. She was instantly mag- 
netized by M. Chapelain, and put to sleep at 11 o'clock. 
She then declared that she saw within her four pieces of 
worm, the first of which was enveloped in a skin — that in 
order to void them, she would have to take an emetic, and 
some worm-powder. It was objected, that she had said 
she should pass the first piece at 11 o'clock. This objec- 
tion fretted her — -she rose abruptly. The Reporter seized 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 123 

her, assured himself that she had hidden nothing under her 
clothes, and placed heron a close-stool, having first exam- 
ined it closely. In ten minutes, she said she felt a tickling 
about the anus ; she again rose abruptly — a movement of 
which advantage was taken to ascertain that nothing came 
from the anus. At 42 minutes after 11 she was awakened, 
made an effort to go to stool, and passed nothing. M. 
Chapelain magnetized her again, put her to sleep, and 
gave her at half-past two o'clock in the morning an emetic, 
which brought on vomiting, but no pieces of worms ap- 
peared. On the 16th, at 10 in the morning, she passed 
some lumpy excrement in which there was no appearance 
of worms. 

" Here are then three well-established facts, and we 
could adduce others, in which error or intended imposture 
on the part of the somnambulists, was very evident ; either 
as to what they pretended to hear, or promised to do, or 
announced as a thing to happen. 

" In this position, and ardently desiring to throw light 
upon the question, we deemed it essential for the benefit 
of the researches to which we were devoting ourselves, 
and for our own protection against the deceptions of char- 
latanism, to ascertain if there were any sign that would 
indicate the somnambulism to be real — that is to say, if the 
sleeping magnetic patient were, so to speak, more than 
asleep when he had reached the somnambulic state. 

" M. Dupotet, who has already been spoken of repeat- 
edly, proposed to the members of the committee, on the 
4th of November, 1826, that they should witness some 
experiments in which he would place the reality of mag- 
netic somnambulism in all its clearest light of evidence. 
He pledged himself, and we have his promise signed by 
himself, to produce at will, and out of the sight of the indi- 
vidual put by him into the somnambulic state, convulsive 
movements in any part of their body, by the mere direction 







1 









124 PSYCODUNAMY. 

of his finger towards that part. He regarded these convul- 
sions as a certain sign of the existence of somnambu- 
lism. The committee availed themselves of the presence 
of Baptiste Chamet, by making upon him the neces- 
sary experiments for enlightening and solving this ques- 
tion. 

" Accordingly, M. Dupotet having put him into the 
somnambulic state, pointed with one finger towards his. 
He also applied a metallic rod near them : no convulsive 
effect was produced. One of the magnetizer's fingers 
was again directed towards those of the magnetized per- 
son ; there was observed in the middle and forefinger of 
both hands a slight movement, like the convulsion occa- 
sioned by the galvanic battery. Six minutes afterwards, 
the magnetizer's finger being directed towards the left 
wrist, caused a complete convulsive movement in this part ; 
and the magnetizer then announced, that in five minutes 
' he would do any thing he pleased with the man.' M. 
Marc, who was behind the latter, observed that the mag- 
netizer ought to try to act upon the forefinger of the right 
hand ; he directed his own towards that part, and it was 
the left, and the thigh of the same side, that became con- 
vulsed. His fingers were next pointed towards the pa- 
tient's toes ; no effect was produced. Passes in front 
were executed. Messrs. Bourdois, Guersent, and Gue- 
neau de Mussy pointed their fingers successively towards 
those of the patient, which contracted at their approach. 
Movements in the left hand were afterwards perceived, 
although no finger was directed towards it. At last, all 
experiments were suspended, in order to ascertain whether 
the convulsive movements would take place when he was 
not magnetized ; and these movements were repeated, but 
more feebly. The committee inferred from this, that there 
was no need of the approach of the magnetizer's fingers 
in order to produce convulsions ; although M. Dupotet 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 125 

added, that when these had once commenced, they would 
continue without it. 

" Mile. Lemaitre also, of whom we before spoke, when 
considering the influence of the imagination in the pro- 
duction of magnetic phenomena, presented an instance of 
this convulsive mobility ; but sometimes these movements, 
which in their rapidity resembled those produced by an 
electric shock, took place in one part, in consequence of 
the approach of fingers, — at others, without the applica- 
tion of the latter means. We have seen them manifested 
in more or less time after the attempt had been made to 
develop them. In several instances this phenomenon made 
its appearance at a first sitting, and no more. Lastly, the 
approximation of the fingers towards one part, was some- 
times followed by convulsions in another. Another illus- 
tration of this phenomenon is that furnished by M. Charlet, 
French Consul at Odessa. M. Dupotet magnetized him 
in our presence, November 17th, 1826. He directed his 
ringer towards the left ear, and there was instantly per- 
ceived in the hair behind the ear, a movement which was 
attributed to contraction of the muscles in that region. 
The passes were repeated with one hand, without direct- 
ing the finger as before, and a general and sudden rising 
of the ear became apparent. One finger was then pointed 
to the same ear, and produced no effect. 

" It is in particular upon M. Petit, aged 32, and a teacher 
at Athis, that the convulsive movements have been proved 
with the greatest precision, by the approximation of the 
magnetizer's fingers. M. Dupotet presented him to the 
committee, August 10th, 1826, with the announcement 
that this gentleman was very susceptible to somnambulic 
influence, and that when in that state, he (M. Dupotet) 
could at will, and without the utterance of a word, elicit 
in such parts as the committee should designate, evident 
convulsive movements, by the mere approach of his fin- 

11* 






126 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



gers. He was very readily put to sleep, — when the com- 
mittee, to prevent any suspicion of intelligence, handed to 
M. Dupotet a note, written in silence, and at the very 
moment, designating the parts which he was requested to 
affect convulsively. Furnished with this instruction, he 
first directed his hand towards the right wrist, which be- 
came convulsed. He next placed himself behind the 
magnetized person, and inclined his finger first towards 
the left thigh, then the left elbow, and lastly the head. 
These three parts were almost instantly seized with con- 
vulsions. M. Dupotet directed his left leg towards that 
of the magnetized person, which shook as if it were on 
the point of falling. M. Dupotet then brought his foot in 
the direction of M. Petit's right elbow, which shook ac- 
cordingly. He directed his foot towards the left elbow 
and hand, and violent convulsive movements were devel- 
oped in all the upper limbs. One of the members of the 
committee, M. Marc, with a further intention of preventing 
any kind of trickery, placed a bandage over his eyes, 
when the foregoing experiments were repeated with but a 
slight difference as to the result. In accordance with a 
mimic and instantaneous gesture from several of us, M. 
Dupotet directed his finger towards the left hand. At its 
approach, both hands shook. It was requested that the 
action should be communicated to the two lower limbs at 
once. The approximation of the fingers was first tried, 
without effect. Soon the somnambulist shook his hands, 
then shrank back, then shook his feet. Some moments 
after, the finger directed towards the hand caused it to be 
drawn back, and produced a general shaking. Messrs. 
Thillaye and Marc directed their fingers over various parts 
of the body, and provoked several convulsive movements. 
M. Petit has been always thus affected by means of the 
pointing of fingers, whether he were blindfolded or not ; 
and these movements have always been more marked 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 127 

when a piece of metal, such as a key, or the shank of a 
pair of spectacles, has been directed towards the parts 
experimented on. The committee have concluded that, 
notwithstanding their having witnessed several cases in 
which this faculty of contraction has been brought into 
play by the approximation of the fingers, or metallic sub- 
stances, it requires new facts in order to appreciate this 
phenomenon, upon the importance and stability of which 
they do not consider themselves sufficiently enlightened 
to decide. 

" Forced, therefore, to have recourse to our own untiring 
surveillance, we have prosecuted our researches, and 
multiplied our observations, with increasing care, atten- 
tion, and wariness. 

" You recollect, gentlemen, the experiments made in 
1820, at the Hotel-Dieu, in presence of a great number 
of physicians, some of whom are members of this Acade- 
my, and before the eyes of the Reporter, who alone de- 
vised the plan of them, directed the details, and recorded 
them each minute in a verbal process signed by all pres- 
ent. We should probably have refrained from mentioning 
them, were it not for a particular circumstance which 
makes it our duty to refer to them. In the course of the 
discussions elicited in the Academy by the proposition of 
submitting Animal Magnetism to a new investigation, a 
certain member, (M. Recamier,) who by the by did not 
deny the reality of the magnetic phenomena, had asserted 
that while the magnetizers were proclaiming the cure of 
Mile. Samson, she was demanding re-admittance to the 
HCtel-Dieu, where, he added, she had died of an organic 
disease, judged incurable by the Faculty. And yet this 
same Mile. Samson reappeared, six years after this pre- 
tended death ; and your committee, convoked on the 29th 
of December, 1826, for the purpose of experimenting upon 
her, determined, before any thing else was done, to assure 



128 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



themselves that the person presented by M. Dupotet, of 
whose good faith however they had no doubt, was indeed 
the same who had been magnetized six years before at the 
Hotel-Dieu. Messrs. Bricheteau and Patissier, who had 
been present at the former experiments, were kind enough 
to come at the invitation of the committee ; and conjointly 
with the Reporter, proved, and signed a certificate, to the 
effect that this was indeed the same person who had been 
the subject of the experiments at the Hotel-Dieu in 1820, 
and that they perceived no other change in her than such 
as announced a remarkable improvement in health. The 
identity being established, Mile. Samson was magnetized by 
M. Dupotet in presence of the committee. The passes 
had scarcely commenced when Mile. S. moved herself to 
and fro upon her chair, rubbed her eyes, gave signs of im- 
patience, complained, and coughed, with a hoarseness of 
voice which Messrs. Bricheteau, Patissier, and the Re- 
porter recognised as the same tone that had struck them 
in 1820, and was then, as on the present occasion, an in- 
dication to them of the commencement of magnetic opera- 
tion. Soon she tapped the floor with her foot, leaned her 
head upon her right hand and her chair, and appeared to 
sleep. They unclosed her eyelid, and saw, as in 1820, 
the ball of the eye turned convulsively upward. Several 
questions were put to her which remained unanswered ; 
when more were addressed to her she made gestures of 
impatience, and told them peevishly not to torment her. 
Lastly, the Reporter, without warning to any one what- 
ever, threw r down at the same time upon the floor a table 
and log of wood, which he had placed on the table. Some 
of the bystanders uttered a cry of alarm : the somnambulist 
heard it not, nor made any kind of movement, continuing 
to sleep soundly. She was aroused four minutes after by 
rubbing her eyes in a circular direction with the thumbs. 
The same log was then suddenly thrown upon the floor ; 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



129 



the noise startled Mile. Samson, and she complained 
much of the fright they had given her, whereas, six minutes 
before, she had been insensible of a much louder noise. 

" You have all likewise heard of a fact which at the time 
arrested the attention of the Surgical Department, having 
been communicated to them at the sitting of the 16th of 
April, 1829, by M. Jules Cloquet. The committee have 
thought it their duty to record it here as one of the most 
unequivocal proofs of the depth of the magnetic sleep. 
The case is this. Mde. Plantin, aged 64, residing at No. 
151 Rue St. Denis, who consulted M. Cloquet on the 8th 
of April, 1829, for an ulcerated cancer, which she had had 
on her right breast for several years, and was the more 
complicated from being considerably obstructed by gan- 
glions in the corresponding arm-pit. M. Chapelain, the 
lady's physician, had magnetized her for several months 
with the view, he said, of reducing the obstruction of the 
breast, but had obtained no other result than a very deep 
sleep, during which sensibility appeared to be destroyed, 
her ideas retaining all their lucidity. He proposed to M. 
Cloquet to operate upon her while she was thus buried in 
magnetic sleep. The latter, judging the operation indis- 
pensable, consented ; and it was decided that it should be 
performed the following Sunday, April 12th. For two 
days previous, the lady was magnetized several times by 
M. Chapelain, who prepared her while in the somnambulic 
state to submit fearlessly to the operation, and even brought 
her to speak of it with confidence, whereas upon awaking 
she rejected the idea of it with horror. 

" Upon the day appointed for the operation, M. Cloquet, 
arriving at half-past ten in the morning, found the patient 
dressed and seated in an arm-chair, in the attitude of one 
enjoying a tranquil and natural sleep. She had returned 
about an hour before from mass, which she was in the 
habit of attending at a regular hour. M. Chapelain had 



130 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



thrown her into the magnetic sleep since her return. The 
patient spoke with much composure of the operation she 
was about to undergo. All the preparations having been 
made for this purpose, she undressed herself and sat down 
upon a chair. 

" M. Chapelain supported her right arm ; the left rested 
upon her side. M. Pailloux, a resident student of the St. 
Louis Hospital, was instructed to hand the instruments 
and make the ligatures. The first incision, commencing 
from the middle of the arm-pit, was directed above the 
tumor to the inner side of the nipple. The second, begin- 
ning at the same point, bounded the tumor below, and was 
continued so as to meet the first. M. Cloquet cautiously 
dissected the obstructing ganglions on account of their 
proximity to the axillary artery, and extirpated the tumor. 
The operation occupied from ten to twelve minutes. 

" During all this time the patient continued in calm con- 
versation with the operator, and did not give the slightest 
symptom of sensibility : no movement of limb, or even 
feature, no change of respiration or voice, no excitement 
even of the pulse was manifested. The patient remained 
without interruption in the state of ease and statue-like 
tranquillity in which she was placed some minutes before 
the operation. There was no necessity of holding her so 
as to prevent her moving ; she only required to be sup- 
ported. A ligature was applied to the lateral thoracic ar- 
tery, opened during the extraction of the ganglions. The 
wound was closed with sticking plaster and dressed ; the 
patient placed in bed, still in the somnambulic state, and 
left thus for 48 hours. An hour after the operation a 
slight hemorrhage became apparent, but had no bad con- 
sequences. The first dressing was taken ofT on the fol- 
lowing Tuesday, the 14th ; the wound was cleansed and 
dressed afresh ; the patient manifested neither pain nor 
sensibility ; her pulse maintained its usual rate. After 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



131 



this dressing M. Chapelain roused the patient, whose som- 
nambulic sleep had lasted ever since an hour before the 
operation, that is to say, for two days. The lady appeared 
to have no idea, no sensation as to what had happened ; 
but, upon being informed that she had undergone the ope- 
ration, and seeing her children around her, she experienced 
a very lively emotion, which the magnetizer checked im- 
mediately by putting her to sleep again. 

" The committee have regarded these two observations 
as furnishing the most evident proof of the annihilation of 
sensibility during somnambulism ; and declare, that al- 
though they did not witness the latter, they find it stamped 
with such an air of truth, witnessed and communicated by 
so strict an observer to the Surgical Department, that they 
have fearlessly presented it to you, as the most incontest- 
able evidence of the state of torpor and numbness produced 
by Magnetism. 

" In the course of experiments in which the committee 
had sought an opportunity of understanding the faculty of 
exciting the contractile power of the muscles in M. Petit, 
of Athis, other essays were made upon him, to detect a 
peculiar kind of clairvoyance, viz. sight through the 
closed eyelids, with which he was said to be endowed 
when in the somnambulic state. 

" The magnetizer had announced to us, that this som- 
nambulist would distinguish among twelve pieces of money, 
that which M. Dupotet had held in his hand. The Re- 
porter placed therein a five-franc piece, dated 1813, and 
then shuffled it among twelve others which he arranged 
m a circle on the table. M. Petit designated one of the 
coins, but it bore the date of 1812. Presently they show- 
ed him a watch, the hands of which had been purposely 
put out of place, so as not to point to the real time, and 
twice in succession M. Petit was at fault as to the hour 
they indicated. An attempt was made to explain these 



132 PSYCODUNAMY. 

mistakes by telling us, that M. Petit lost a portion of his 
lucidity when not frequently magnetized ; nevertheless, at 
the same sitting, the Reporter played a game of piquet 
"with him, and tried several times to deceive him by mis- 
calling a card or color, and yet the Reporter's false play 
did not prevent M. Petit from playing right, or knowing 
the color of his adversary's point. We ought to add, that 
whenever a body, such as a sheet of paper or card, was 
placed between his eyes and the object to be discerned, 
M. Petit could distinguish nothing. 

" Had these been the only essays made by us to recog- 
nise clairvoyance, we should have concluded that it formed 
no part of somnambulism ; but in the following experiment, 
this faculty appeared in its broadest light, and its success 
fully bore out the announcement of M. Dupotet. 

" M. Petit was magnetized by him on the 1 5th of March, 
1826, at half-past eight in the evening, and put to sleep 
almost in a mimite. The chairman of the committee, M. 
Bourdois, assured himself that the number of pulsations 
had diminished twenty-two per minute since he had beea 
put to sleep, and that the pulse also was somewhat irregu- 
lar. M. Dupotet, having blindfolded the somnambulist, 
joined two of his fingers, and pointed to him repeatedly a* 
the distance of about two feet. A violent contraction of 
the hands and arms, towards which the action was direct- 
ed, became immediately visible. M. Dupotet having like- 
wise brought his feet near those of M. Petit, but without 
touching them, the latter drew his forcibly back. He 
complained of feeling acute pain and a burning heat in the 
limbs to which the action was directed. M. Bourdois 
tried to produce the same effects ; he did so, but with 
less promptitude, and in a less degree. 

" This point being well established, we proceeded to as- 
certain the clairvoyance of the somnambulist. The latter 
having declared that he could not see with the bandage, it 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 133 

was taken off; but every care was taken to ascertain that 
the eyelids were firmly closed. To this end. during the 
experiment, a light was almost constantly kept before M. 
Petit's eyes, at the distance of an inch or two ; and several 
persons had their eyes continually fixed on his. Xo one 
could perceive the slightest parting of the lids. M. Ribes 
even showed them that their edges were overlapped so that 
the lashes crossed each other. 

' : The state of the eyes was also examined. They 
were forced open without awaking the somnambulist ; and 
it was remarked that the ball was turned downward, and 
directed towards the wide corner of the eye. 

° After these preliminaries we proceeded to verify the 
phenomena of seeing with the eyes shut. M. Ribes, a 
member of the Academy, presented a catalogue which he 
drew from his pocket. The somnambulist, after some ef- 
forts which seemed to fatigue him, read very distinctly these 
words : : Lavater. It is very difficult to know men.' These 
words were printed in very small type. A passport was 
placed before his eyes — he recognised it, and called it a 
pass-man. A few moments after, a license to carry arms 
was substituted for the passport, being, as it is known, al- 
most exactly similar, and the blank side presented to him. 
M. Petit could only recognise that it was a document with 
a border, and nearly like the other. It was turned — then, 
after a few moments' examination, he told what it was, and 
distinctly read these words : ' By authority of the king ;' 
and on the left, { To wear arms.' An opened letter was 
shown him. He said he could not read, as he did not un- 
derstand English. It was, in fact, an English letter. 

" M. Bourdois took from his pocket a snuff-box, on which 
was a cameo set in gold. The somnambulist could not 
see it distinctly at first ; the gold rim dazzled him, he said. 
The rim being covered with the fingers, he told us he saw 
the emblem of fidelity. When pressed to say what this em- 
12 






134 PSYCODUNAMY. 

blem was, he added : ' I see a dog : he looks as if he were 
standing up before an altar.' This was, indeed, what was 
represented. A folded letter was shown him. He could 
tell none of the contents. He merely traced with his fin- 
gers the direction of the lines ; but he read the address 
very well, although it bore a pretty difficult name : ■ To 
M. de Rockenstrok.' 

" All these experiments fatigued M. Petit extremely. 
He was allowed to rest himself awhile. Then, as he was 
fond of play, a game of cards was proposed, as a relaxation 
to him. Whatever vexation and fatigue he manifested 
during the experiments of mere curiosity, he performed 
with equal ease and dexterity that which was pleasing to 
him, and to which he betook himself of his own accord. 

" One of the company, M. Raynal, formerly inspector 
of the University, played with M. Petit to a hundred at 
piquet, and lost. The latter handled the cards with the 
greatest agility, and without once making a mistake. Sev- 
eral attempts were made in vain to put him out, by keeping 
back, or changing cards. He counted, with astonishing 
facility, the number of points marked on his adversary's 
scoring-card. During all this time his eyes were inces- 
santly watched, and a light kept near them. They were 
found to be firmly closed the whole time. Nevertheless, it 
was observed that the ball of the eye seemed to move be- 
neath the lid, and follow the movements of the hands. In 
fine, M. Bourdois declared that, in all human probability, 
and as far as could be judged by the senses, the eyelids 
were entirely shut. 

" While M. Petit was playing a second game of piquet, 
M. Dupotet, at the suggestion of M. Ribes, directed his 
hand from behind, towards the elbow of the former. The 
contraction previously noticed again took place. Then, 
upon the proposition of M. Bourdois, he magnetized him 
from behind, and still at the distance of a foot, with the 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 135 

intention of awaking him. The ardor for play on the part 
of the somnambulist, struggled against this operation, so 
that it embarrassed and vexed, without awaking him. He 
several times raised his hand to the back of his head, as 
if he suffered pain there. He fell at last into a slumber, 
which seemed like a light natural sleep ; and some one 
having spoken to him in this state, he suddenly awoke. 
A few moments after, M. Dupotet, still stationed at a slight 
distance from him, plunged him again into the magnetic 
sleep, and the experiments were resumed. M. Dupotet, 
desirous that not a shadow of doubt should rest upon the 
nature of a physical action exercised at will upon the 
somnambulist, proposed to put as many bandages as might 
be requested over M. Petit's eyes, and to act upon him in 
that state. Upon this his face, and even nostrils, were 
muffled with several cravats; the cavity formed by the 
projection of the nose was padded, and the whole covered 
with a black neckerchief reaching down to the neck after 
the manner of a veil. 

" Fresh attempts of every kind were then made to op- 
erate at a distance, and the same movements were con- 
stantly elicited in the parts towards which a hand or a foot 
was directed. 

" After these essays, M. Dupotet having removed the 
bandages from M. Petit, played a game of " ecarte" with 
him, for his diversion. He played with the same facility 
as before, and was again the winner. He pursued his 
game with such ardor, as to remain insensible to the influ- 
ence of M. Bourdois, who tried in vain, meanwhile, to 
operate upon him from behind, and to make him execute a 
mental order. 

" At the conclusion of the game, the somnambulist rose, 
walked across the parlor, removing the chairs which stood 
in his way, and went and sat for a while apart from the 
rest, as if to repose from the curiosity and experiments 



136 PSYCODUNAMY. 

that had fatigued him. When there, M. Dupotet awoke 
him at the distance of two feet ; but did not rouse him 
altogether, as it seemed, for in a few moments after he 
fell asleep again, and it required a fresh effort to bring him 
to a complete state of consciousness. 

" When awake, he declared that he had no recollection 
of what had occurred during his sleep. 

" Assuredly, if, as M. Bourdois wrote upon the proces- 
verbal of this sitting, ' the constant immobility of the eye- 
lids, and their edges overlapping each other so that the 
lashes seemed to cross, are sufficient guarantees of the 
clairvoyance of this somnambulist through the eyelids, it 
is impossible to withhold, if not belief, at least astonish- 
ment at what has taken place at this sitting, and not de- 
sire to witness further experiments, so as to be able to 
arrive at a settled opinion upon the existence and value of 
Animal Magnetism.' 

" The wish expressed on this point by our President was 
quickly gratified, in experimenting upon three somnambu- 
lists, who, besides the clairvoyance observed in the pre- 
ceding case, displayed proofs of an intuition and foresight, 
which seemed as remarkable to themselves as to others. 

" A wider field now lies apparently before us. The busi- 
ness is no longer to gratify mere curiosity, to seek assu- 
rance of there being a sign by which to distinguish real 
somnambulism from that which is feigned. Of the fact of 
a somnambulist's being able to read with his eyes shut, to 
apply himself during his sleep to the more or less intricate 
combinations of a game at cards, — these, to be sure, are 
curious and interesting questions, the solution of which, 
particularly that of the last, is a very extraordinary phe- 
nomenon ; but they are questions which, in point of real in- 
terest, and above all, in view of the hopes of advantage to 
be derived therefrom by the science of medicine, are infi- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 137 

nitely beneath those which the committee are about to 
make known to you. 

" There is not one of you, gentlemen, who in all that 
has been told him of Magnetism, has not heard of that 
faculty which certain somnambulists possess, not only of 
indicating the kind of disease with which they are affect- 
ed, together with its duration and issue, but also the kind, 
duration, and issue of the diseases of those with whom 
they are put in communication. The three following ob- 
servations seemed to us of such importance that we have 
thought it our duty to make them known to you in detail, 
as presenting very remarkable instances of this intuition 
and foresight ; you will find therein, at the same time, a 
combination of phenomena not observed in other magnet- 
ized persons. 

" Paul Villagrand, a law-student, born at Magnac-Laval, 
(Upper Vienna,) on the 18th of May, 1803, had, on the 
25th of December, 1825, an attack of apoplexy, together 
with paralysis, affecting the whole of the left side of his 
body. After 17 months of varied treatment, by acupunctu- 
ration, a seton in the nape of the neck, and 12 moxas along 
the vertebral column, which treatment he underwent either 
at his own house, at the Maison de Sante, or at the Hos- 
pice de Perfectionnement, and in the course of which he 
had two attacks more, he was admitted, on the 8th of 
April, 1827, into the Charity Hospital. Although he ex- 
perienced considerable relief from the means employed 
before his entrance into that hospital, he walked on crutch- 
es, not being able to rest upon his left foot. The arm of 
the same side performed indeed some of its functions ; 
but Paul could not raise it to his head. He was nearly 
blind of the right eye, and was very deaf in both ears. 
Such was his condition when confided to the care of our 
colleague, M. Fouquier, who, besides the paralysis, which 

12* 






138 PSYCODUNAMY. 

was evident enough, recognised in him symptoms of hyper- 
trophy of the heart. 

" For five months he administered to him the alcoholic 
extract of mix vomica, bled him occasionally, purged him, 
and applied blisters. His left arm recovered a portion of 
its strength, the headaches to which he had been subject 
left him, and his condition remained stationary until the 
29th of August, 1827, at which date he was magnetized 
for the first time by M. Foissac, by the order and under 
the direction of M. Fouquier. At this first sitting he had 
a general sensation of heat, then a twitching of the ten- 
dons. He was astonished at being overmastered, so to 
speak, by an inclination to sleep — rubbed his eyes in order 
to get rid of it — made visible, but useless efforts to keep 
them open ; at length his head drooped upon his breast 
and he fell asleep. From this moment his deafness and 
headache left him. It was not till the ninth sitting that 
his sleep became profound ; and at the tenth he replied in 
inarticulate sounds to the questions addressed to him. He 
afterwards declared that he could only be cured by the aid 
of Magnetism, and prescribed for himself mustard plasters, 
mineral baths, and a continuation of the nux vomica pills. 
On the 25th of September the committee repaired to the 
Charity Hospital, caused the patient to be undressed, and 
satisfied themselves that the left leg was evidently more 
meager than the right, that the grip of the right hand was 
much stronger than that of the left, that the tongue when 
put out inclined towards the right corner of the mouth, 
and that in coughing the right cheek was more distended 
than the left. 

" Paul was then magnetized, and quickly fell into the 
somnambulic state. He repeated what related to his 
treatment, and directed that a mustard plaster should be 
applied, that day, to each leg for an hour and a half; that 
on the morrow, he should be made to take a mineral bath, 






ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 139 

and, upon leaving the bath, mustard plasters should be ap- 
plied for two hours without interruption, sometimes to one 
part, sometimes to another ; that on the third day, after 
having taken a second mineral bath, a palette and a half 
of blood should be taken from his right arm. He added, 
that if this treatment were adopted, on the 28th, that 
is to say, three days after, he should walk from the room 
without crutches, provided, he said, they again magnetized 
him. 

" The treatment which he prescribed was adopted, and 
on the day pointed out by him, the 28th of September, 
the committee revisited the Charity Hospital. Paul en- 
tered the hall of conference, supported on his crutches, 
where he was magnetized as usual, and put into the som- 
nambulic state, in which he affirmed that he would return 
to his bed without crutches or other support. Upon 
awakening, he called for his crutches. He was told he 
had no longer need of them. He rose, in fact, stood upon 
his paralyzed leg, pierced the crowd that followed him, 
walked down the stairs leading from the experimenting 
room, crossed the second court of the hospital, ascended 
two steps, and having reached the bottom of the staircase, 
sat down. After resting himself for two minutes, he as- 
cended, with the assistance of one arm and the handrail, 
the twenty-four steps which led to his bedroom ; he went 
to his bed without support, sat down again for a moment, 
and took a second walk round the room, to the great sur- 
prise of all the patients, who, up to that time, had always 
seen him confined to his bed. From that day Paul never 
resumed his crutches. The committee again met, on the 
11th of October, at the Charity Hospital. He was mag- 
netized, and announced that he would be completely cured 
at the end of the year, if a seton were made two inches 
below the region of the heart. At this sitting he was re- 
peatedly pinched, and a pin was stuck the eighth of an 



140 PSYCODUNAMY. 

inch deep into his eyebrow and wrist, without eliciting 
any signs of sensibility. 

" On the sixteenth of October, M. Fouquier received, 
from the General Council of the Hospitals, a letter re- 
questing him to suspend the magnetic experiments he had 
commenced at the Charity Hospital. The treatment by 
Magnetism therefore necessarily ceased, although the pa- 
tient declared that he could not commend the efficacy 
thereof in adequate terms. M. Foissac then caused him 
to leave the hospital, and take up his abode at No. 18 Rue 
des Petits-Augustins, in a private room, where he contin- 
ued his treatment. On the 29th of the same month, the 
committee visited the patient at his lodging, for the pur- 
pose of inquiring into the progress of his cure ; but before 
magnetizing him, it was ascertained that he still walked 
without crutches, and that his gait was steadier than at the 
previous sittings. His strength was then tested by means 
of a dynamometer, ^hen pressed with his right hand, 
the instrument stood at thirty kilogrammes, and with the 
left at twelve. The two hands together made it rise to 
thirty-one. 

" He was magnetized. In four minutes somnambulism 
became apparent, and Paul declared that he should be 
perfectly cured by the 1st of January. 

" His strength was again tried. The pressure of the 
right hand caused the needle to rise to 29 kilogrammes, 
— one less than before his sleep ; the left hand, (the para- 
lyzed one,) to 26, — fourteen more than before his sleep ; 
and the two hands united, to 45, — fourteen more than 
before. 

" While yet in the somnambulic state, he got up and 
walked with great activity, hopped upon the left foot, 
rested upon his right knee, got up again, supporting him- 
self with his left hand upon a bystander, and bearing the 
entire weight of his body upon his left knee. He caught 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 141 

hold of, and lifted M. Thillaye, turned him completely 
round himself, and sat down with M. Thillaye upon his 
lap. He drew the dynamometer with all his strength, and 
raised the needle to 16 myriagrammes . Being asked to 
go down stairs, he abruptly quitted his arm-chair, took M. 
Foissac's arm, and leaving him at the door, went down 
and up again, taking two or three stairs at once, with an 
unnatural rapidity, which, however, he moderated when 
told to take them one by one. As soon as he was awa- 
kened, he lost this astonishing increase of strength. Then, 
indeed, the dynamometer stood at 3| myriagrammes only, 
— that is to say, 12| less than before he was awake. His 
gait was slow, but firm. He could not bear the weight of 
his body on the left leg, (the paralyzed one,) and he tried 
in vain to lift M. Foissac. 

" We ought to remark here, gentlemen, that a few days 
before the last experiment the patient had lost 2\ pounds 
of blood ; that he had still two blisters on his legs, a seton 
on the nape of his neck, and another on his chest. You 
cannot, therefore, but acknowledge, with us, what a pro- 
digious increase of strength Magnetism had developed in 
the diseased organs, that of the sound ones remaining the 
same, — since, as long as the somnambulism lasted, the 
whole force of the body had been more than quadrupled. 
Paul thereafter renounced all medical treatment. He de- 
sired to be magnetized only ; and towards the end of the 
year, as he expressed a wish to be put into the somnam- 
bulic state, and kept therein for a week, in order to com- 
plete his cure by the 1st of January, he was magnetized 
on the 25th of December, and from that day remained in 
a state of somnambulism until the 1st of January. Of 
this time (he being roused at unequal intervals) about 
twelve hours were passed awake ; and during these mo- 
ments of natural consciousness, he was made to believe 
that he had only slept for a few hours. Throughout his 



142 PSYCODUNAMY. 

sleep his digestive functions went on with increased ac- 
tivity. 

" He had been asleep for three days, when, accompa- 
nied by M. Foissac, he set out on foot, December 28th, 
from Rue Mondovi, and went in search of M. Fouquier, 
at the Charity Hospital, which he reached at 9 o'clock. 
He there recognised the patients near whom he had lain 
in bed before his departure, the students who officiated in 
the hall, — and he read with his eyes closed, (a finger being 
pressed on each lid,) some words presented to him by M. 
Fouquier. 

" All we witnessed appeared so astonishing, that the 
committee, desirous of tracing throughout the history of 
this somnambulist, met on the 1st of January at M. Fois- 
sac 's, where Paul was found in a sleep that had lasted 
since the 25th of December. He had dispensed, two 
weeks before, with the seton on his neck and breast, and 
had had a cautery made on his left arm, which he was to 
retain for life. He declared, moreover, that he was cured ; 
that if he committed no imprudence, he would attain to an 
advanced age, and die of an apoplectic fit. When awa- 
kened, he left M. Foissac's house, walked and ran' through 
the street with a firm and fearless step. On his return, 
he carried with the utmost facility a person present, whom 
he had not, without effort, been able to lift before his 
sleep. 

" On the 12th of January, the committee again met at 
M. Foissac's, together with M. Em. de las Cases, 
deputy, M. le Comte de Rumigny, first aid-de-camp to 
the king, and M. Segalas, member of the Academy. M. 
Foissac announced to us, that he was about to put Paul to 
sleep ; that while in the somnambulic state, a finger should 
be laid on each of his closed eyes ; and that, in spite of 
this complete exclusion of light, he would distinguish the 
colors of cards, read the title of a work, and some words 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 143 

of the lines pointed out to him, at random, even in the 
body of any work. Magnetic passes having been exe- 
cuted for two minutes, Paul fell asleep. His eyelids 
being kept constantly closed by Messrs. Fouquier, Itard, 
Marc, and the Reporter, in turns, a new pack of cards was 
exhibited to him. The paper envelope, bearing the gov- 
ernment stamp, was torn ; the cards were shuffled ; and 
Paul recognised successively and easily the king of 
spades, ace of clubs, queen of hearts, nine of clubs, seven 
of diamonds, queen of diamonds, and the eight of dia- 
monds. 

" His eyelids being still kept closed by M. Segalas, a 
volume with which the Reporter had provided himself, was 
presented to him. He read the title, viz.: 'History of 
France.'' He could not read the two intermediate lines, 
but read upon the fifth the single word ' Anquetil,' which 
was preceded by the preposition ' by.' The book was 
opened at the 89th page, and he read in the first line : 
' the number of his' — omitted the word ' troops,' £,nd con- 
tinued — ' at the moment when he was thought to be the 
most engrossed in the pleasures of the carnival — ' He 
likewise read the title at the head of each page of the 
reign, viz. : ' Louis,'' but could not decipher the Roman 
figures which followed it. A paper was handed to him, 
on which the words ' agglutination and Animal Magnetism' 
were written. He spelt the first, and pronounced the other 
two. Lastly, the minutes of the proceedings at that sit- 
ting were shown to him ; he read pretty distinctly the 
date, and some words more legibly written than the rest. 
During all these experiments fingers were placed over the 
entire opening of each eye, pressing the upper lid upon 
the lower, and we remarked that the orb constantly per- 
formed a rotary movement, and appeared to be directed to- 
wards the object submitted to its vision. 

" On the 2d of February Paul was put into the som- 



144 PSYCODUNAMY. 

nambulic state at the residence of Messrs. Scribe and Bre- 
mard, merchants, No. 290 Rue St. Honore. The com- 
mittee's Reporter was the only member present at this ex- 
periment. Paul's eyelids were closed as before, and he 
read in the work entitled ' The Thousand and one Nights,' 
the title, the word ' Preface,' and the first line of the Pre- 
face except the word ' little.' They also presented him a 
volume entitled ' Letters from Two Friends,' by Mine. 
Campan. He distinguished in an engraving the figure of 
Napoleon ; he pointed out his boots, and said he saw two 
women there. He then read fluently the first four lines 
of the 3d page, with the exception of the word ' revive.' 
Lastly, he recognised, without touching them, four cards 
that were presented to him two by two — namely, the king 
of spades and the eight of hearts, the queen and king of 
clubs. 

"At another sitting, held on the 13th of March follow- 
ing, Paul tried in vain to distinguish different cards which 
were laid upon his epigastrium ; but he again read with 
his eyes closed from a book opened at random, and on 
this occasion M. Jules Cloquet secured his eyelids. The 
Reporter likewise wrote on a slip of paper the two proper 
names, Maximilien Robespierre, which he read equally 
well. 

" The inferences to be drawn from this long and curious 
observation are evident. They follow naturally from the 
simple narrative of the facts we haye reported, and we 
arrange them as follows : 1st. A patient, whom a rational 
medicine prepared by one of the most distinguished practi- 
tioners of the capital has failed to cure of paralysis, owes 
his restoration to health and strength to the employment of 
Magnetism, and the precision with which the treatment 
prescribed by himself when in the somnambulic state was 
followed up. 2d. While in this state his strength was re- 
markably increased. 3d. He furnishes indisputable proof 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 145 

that he reads with his eyes closed. 4th and lastly, He 
foresees the epoch of his cure, and this cure takes place. 

"The following observation will illustrate this foresight, 
still more clearly developed in an humble and altogether 
ignorant map., and who certainly had never heard of Mag- 
netism. 

" Peter Cazot, aged 20, a journeyman hatter, born of an 
epileptic mother, had been subject for ten years to epileptic 
fits, occurring five or six times a week, when he was ad- 
mitted to the Charity Hospital, in the early part of the 
month of August, 1827. He was immediately magnetized 
by M. Foissac. He fell asleep at the third sitting, and into 
a state of somnambulism at the 10th, which was held on the 
19th of August. He then, at nine o'clock in the morning, 
announced that at four in the afternoon of that day he should 
have an attack of epilepsy ; but that it could be prevented 
by magnetizing him a short time beforehand. It was 
deemed preferable to prove the accuracy of his prevision, 
and no precautions were taken to avert it. iTo keep watch 
over him without his being aware of it, was thought all- 
sufficient. At one o'clock he was seized with a violent 
headache ; at three he was obliged to go to bed; and at 
four, precisely, the fit commenced. It lasted five minutes. 
Two days afterwards, Cazot being in the somnambulic 
state, M. Fouquier suddenly thrust a pin an inch long be- 
tween the thumb and forefinger of his right hand — with 
the same pin pierced the lobe of his ear — opened his eye- 
lid, and struck repeatedly the conjunctiva (white of the 
eye) with the head of the pin, without calling forth the 
least sign of sensibility. 

"The committee assembled at the Charity Hospital on 
the 24th of August, at nine in the morning, to follow up the 
experiments which M. Fouquier, one of the members, in- 
tended to resume on this patient. 

" At this sitting, M. Foissac stationed himself in front of 
13 



146 PSYCODUNAMY. 

Cazot, at the distance of six feet. He looked steadily al 
him, made no gesture with his hand, maintained a profound 
silence, and Cazot fell asleep in eight minutes. A vial of 
hartshorn was applied three times to his nose. His face 
flushed, his respiration was accelerated, but he did not 
awake. M. Fouquier thrust into his forearm a pin an inch 
long ; a second was pricked to the depth of a quarter of 
an inch obliquely into the sternum ; a third obliquely also 
into the epigastrium ; and a fourth perpendicularly into the 
sole of his foot. M. Guersent pinched him on the forearm 
so as to leave an ecchymosis, (stagnant blood.) M. Itard 
leaned with the entire weight of his body upon the thigh. 
They tried to tickle him with a small piece of paper under 
the nose, on the lips, eyebrows, eyelashes, neck, and sole 
of the foot. Nothing could rouse him. We urged him 
with questions such as — ' How many more fits are you to 
have V — ' For a year.' — ' Do you know whether they will 
follow closely one after the other V — ' No.' — ' Will you 
have one this month V — ' I shall have one on Monday, the 
27th, at 20 minutes before three.' — ' Will it be violent V — 
1 Not half so violent as that I lately had.' — ' On what other 
day will you have a fresh attack?' — After a gesture of im- 
patience, he answered : * In two weeks from to-day, that 
is, on the 7th of September.' — ' At what hour ?'— ' At ten 
minutes before six in the morning.' — The sickness of one 
of Cazot's children obliged him to leave the Charity Hos- 
pital the same day, (August 24th ;) but it was agreed to 
have him there again on Monday, the 27th, in the morn- 
ing, for the purpose of witnessing the fit which he had 
said would come upon him that day, at 20 minutes before 
three. The porter having refused him admittance when 
he presented himself, Cazot went to M. Foissac's to com- 
plain of this refusal. The latter preferred, as he told us, 
averting this fit by Magnetism to being the sole witness of 
it. We were, therefore, unable to establish the accuracy 






ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 147 

of this prevision. But it still was left us to observe the 
attack announced for the 7th of September. M. Fouquier 
having procured Cazot's admission into the hospital on the 
6th, under pretence of showing him the attentions which he 
could not receive elsewhere, caused him to be magnetized 
in the course of the day (the 6th) by M. Foissac, who put 
him to sleep by the mere force of his volition, and the steadi- 
ness of his gaze. During his sleep Cazot repeated that he 
should have an attack on the morrow, at ten minutes before 
six, and that it could be prevented by magnetizing him a 
little beforehand. At a signal agreed upon, and given by 
M. Fouquier, M. Foissac, of whose presence Cazot was 
ignorant, awoke him as he had put him to sleep, by an act 
of volition, in spite of the questions put to the somnambu- 
list, with no other view than to make him unconscious of 
the moment at which he was to be awakened. 

" In order to witness the second fit, the committee met, 
on the 7th. of September, at a quarter before six in the 
morning, in St. Michael's Hall, at the Charity Hospital. 
It was there ascertained that Cazot had, the evening be- 
fore, been seized with a headache, which had tortured 
him all night ; that this had brought on a ringing in the 
ears, together with shooting pains. At ten minutes before 
six, we witnessed the epileptic fit, characterized by the 
stiffening and contraction of the limbs, violent and repeated 
jerking of the head backward, convulsive closing of the 
eyelids, retraction of the eyeball towards the top of the 
socket, sighs, exclamations, insensibility to pinching, and 
biting the tongue. All this assemblage of symptoms lasted 
five minutes, during which he had twice a few moments' 
respite, and a painful shuddering of the limbs, and a gen- 
eral lassitude. 

" On the 10th of September, at seven in the evening, 
the committee met again at M. Itard's, to resume their ex- 
periments upon Cazot. The latter was in the cabinet, in 



148 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



: 



F 



which a conversation was carried on with him until half- 
past seven, at which time M. Foissac, who had arrived 
after him, and remained in the antechamber, separated 
from the cabinet by two closed doors, and at the distance 
of twelve feet, began to magnetize him. Three minutes 
afterwards, Cazot said, ' I believe M. Foissac is there, for 
I feel stupid.' At the expiration of eight minutes, he was 
sound asleep. He was questioned, and he again affirmed 
that in three weeks from that day, the 1st of October, he 
should have an epileptic fit at two minutes before noon. 

" It became our business to observe, with as much care 
as we had on the 7th of September, the attack which he 
had said would take place on the 1st of October. To this 
end, the committee assembled that day, at half-past eleven, 
at the house of M. Georges, hatter, No. 17 Rue des Me- 
netriers, where Cazot lived and worked. We were in- 
formed by M. Georges, that Cazot was a very steady . 
workman, of exemplary conduct, and of too unsophisticated 
a mind, or too moral, to lend himself to any trickery what- 
ever ; that he had had no epileptic fit since that which the 
committee had witnessed at the Charity Hospital ; that 
not feeling well, he had remained in his room, and 
was not at work ; that there was at that moment with him 
an intelligent man, whose veracity and discretion might 
be relied on ; that this man had not told him of his having 
predicted that he was to have an attack that day ; that al- 
though it was evident enough that M. Foissac had com- 
municated with Cazot since the 10th of September, it 
could not be inferred thence that he had reminded him of 
his prediction ; on the contrary, that M. Foissac attached too 
much importance to the condition that no one should speak 
to the patient of what he had announced, &c. M. Georges 
went up at five minutes before noon into a room under that 
occupied by Cazot, and in a minute afterwards came to in- 
form us that the fit was on him. We all hastily ascended 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



149 



Messrs. Guersent, Thillaye, Marc, Gueneau, De Mussy, 
Itard, and the Reporter, to the sixth story, which when 
we reached, the watch of one of the commissioners point- 
ed to noon, all but one minute by the true time. When 
assembled round Cazot's bed, we found the epileptic at- 
tack characterized by the following symptoms : a tetanic 
stiffness of the body and members, throwing back of the 
head and at times of the body itself, spasmodic retraction 
of the eyeballs upward, leaving only the white visible, a 
marked infusion of blood into the face and neck, contrac- 
tion of the jaws, partial febrillary convulsions in the mus- 
cles of the fore-arm and the right arm, ophisthotonos so 
strongly developed as to raise the trunk in form of an arc 
of a circle, leaving the body with no other support than 
that of the head and feet, which movements terminated in 
a sudden relaxation. Shortly after this attack, that is to 
say, after a minute's respite, a fresh attack similar to the 
foregoing one came over him, signalized also by inarticu- 
late sounds, a respiration which by fits and starts amount- 
ed to panting, a rapid rising and sinking of the larynx, and 
a pulse beating from 132 to 160. There was no foaming 
at the mouth, nor contraction of the thumb towards the 
palm. At the expiration of six minutes, the fit ended in 
sighs, a sinking of the limbs and opening of the eyelids. 
The patient gazed at the bystanders with an air of aston- 
ishment, and complained of a general soreness, especially 
in the right arm. 

" Although the committee could not doubt the reality of 
the action of Magnetism upon Cazot, he being even uncon- 
scious thereof, and at a certain distance, they were still de- 
sirous of adding another proof. And as it had been proved 
during the last sitting that M. Foissac had had intercourse 
with him, during which he might have told him that he 
(Cazot) had predicted that he was to have an attack on the 
1st of October, the committee wished also, by makm<* 
13* 



150 PSYCODUNAMY. 

fresh experiments on Cazot, to lead M. Foissac wrong as 
to the day on which his epileptic patient would be attacked, 
and which he should announce beforehand. By this means 
we guarded ourselves against any sort of connivance, un- 
less it be supposed that a man whom we have always 
found honest and honorable, would be willing to have an 
understanding with one without education or intelligence, 
for the purpose of deceiving us. We confess that we have 
done neither party such wrong, and we would not withhold 
the same credit from Messrs. Dupol^t and Chapelain, of 
whom we have had frequent occasion to make mention to 
you. 

" The committee met therefore in the office of M. Bour- 
dois, on the 6th of October, at noon, when Cazot arrived 
with his child. M. Foissac had been invited to attend at 
half-past 12 ; he was punctual to the time, and remained 
in the parlor without Cazot's knowledge or any communi- 
cation with us. However, some one was dispatched by 
a private door to tell him that Cazot was sitting on a sofa 
ten feet from a closed door, and that the committee desired 
him to put him to sleep and wake him again at this dis- 
tance, he remaining in the parlor and Cazot in the office. 

" At 23 minutes before one, while Cazot was engaged 
in conversation with us, or examining the pictures with 
which the office was decorated, M. Foissac, stationed in 
the adjoining room, began magnetizing him. We observed 
that at the end of four minutes Cazot winked a little, 
looked uneasy, and fell asleep in nine minutes. M. 
Guersent, who had attended him at the Children's Hos- 
pital for his epileptic fits, asked him whether he recog- 
nised him ; he replied in the affirmative. M. Itard in- 
quired of him when he expected another attack ; he an- 
swered, ' in four weeks from that day, (on the 3d of No- 
vember,) at five minutes past four in the afternoon.' He 
was then asked when he should have a second ; he an- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 151 

swered after collecting himself, and with some hesitation, 
that it would be in five weeks after the one he had just pre- 
dicted, that is to say, on the 9th of December, at half-past 
nine in the morning. 

" The minutes of this sitting having been read in pres- 
ence of M. Foissac, that he might sign them with us, we 
had determined, as has been said before, to lead him 
wrong ; and in reading it to him before it was signed by 
the members of the committee, the Reporter read that Ca- 
zot's first fit would occur on Sunday, the 4th of November, 
whereas the patient had fixed on Saturday, the 3d. He 
deceived him also in reference to the second ; and M. 
Foissac made a note of these false indications, as if they 
had been correct ; but, having some days after put Cazot 
into the somnambulic state, as he was in the habit of doing 
for the relief of his headaches, he learned from him that it 
was on the 3d and not the 4th that he was to have his fit, 
and he informed M. Itard thereof on the 1st of November, 
thinking that there must have been a mistake in the min- 
utes of their late proceedings, of which however M. Itard 
upheld the pretended veracity. 

" The committee again took all the proper precautions 
for observing the fit of the 3d of November. They met 
at four in the afternoon at M. Georges' house,- — were in- 
formed by him, by his wife, and one of his workmen, that 
Cazot had wrought as usual all the morning, until two 
o'clock, and that at dinner, he had a headache, but had 
gone down to resume his work ; however, as the pain in- 
creased, and a giddiness had likewise come upon him, he 
had gone up to his own room again, lain down, and fallen 
asleep. Thereupon Messrs. Bourdois, Fouquier, and the 
Reporter ascended, ushered by M. Georges, to Cazot's 
chamber. M. Georges entered alone, and found him fast 
asleep, a fact which he enabled us to ascertain by means 
of a half-opened door on the landing. M. Georges spoke 



152 PSYCODUNAMY. 

to him in a loud tone, moved him in his bed, and shook 
him by the arm, but could not rouse him ; and at six min- 
utes past four, in the midst of the efforts made by M. 
Georges to awake him, Cazot was seized with the symp- 
toms which chiefly characterize an epileptic fit, and exactly 
similar to those we observed in him on former occasions. 

" The second attack, announced, at the sitting of the 6th 
of October, as to take place on the 9th of December, (that 
is to say, two months previously,) occurred at half-past 
nine — a quarter of an hour later than he had predicted — 
and was characterized by the same precursory phenomena 
and symptoms, as those of the 7th of September, 1st of 
October, and 3d of November. 

" Lastly, on the 11th of February, 1828, Cazot indi- 
cated the 22d of April following as the date of a new 
attack, at five minutes after noon ; and this prediction was 
verified, like the preceding ones, with an inaccuracy of no 
more than five minutes — that is to say, at ten minutes 
after noon. This fit, which was remarkable for its vio- 
lence — for the kind of fury with which Cazot bit his 
hand and fore-arm — the sudden and repeated shocks 
which lifted him from his bed — had lasted 35 minutes, 
when M. Foissac, who was present, magnetized him. 
Soon the spasms ceased, and gave place to the state of 
magnetic somnambulism, during which Cazot arose, seated 
himself on a chair, and said he was very much fatigued ; 
that he should yet have two fits more — one in nine weeks 
from the morrow, at three minutes past six, on the 25th of 
June. He would not think of the second attack, because 
he had to look to what would happen first ; (at that mo- 
ment he requested his wife, who was present, to retire ;) 
and he added, that in about three weeks after the fit of 
the 25th of June, he should run mad ; that his insanity 
would last for three days, during which, he should be so 
spiteful as to fight with everybody ; th$t he should ill- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 153 

treat his wife and child ; that he must not be left alone 
with them ; and that, for aught he knew, he should kill 
some one, whom he did not name. It would, therefore, 
be necessary to bleed him immediately in both feet. He 
finished by saying, * I shall be cured in the month of 
August ; and being once cured, the disease will never 
trouble me again, whatever circumstances may occur.' 

" It was on the 22d of April that these predictions were 
uttered \ and two days afterwards, Cazot, in attempting to 
stop a fiery horse that had run away, was dashed against 
the wheel of a cabriolet, which shattered the orbit {arcade 
orbitaire) of his left eye, and bruised him terribly. <ft He was 
carried to the Beaujon Hospital, and died on the 15th of 
May. Upon opening the skull, there was found a meningite 
of recent formation, purulent gatherings under the integu- 
ments of the cranium, and at the extremity of the 'plexus 
choroide, a substance yellowish within, white externally, and 
containing small hydatides. 

We see, in the above observation, a young man, 
subject for ten years to epileptic fits, for which he 
has been successively treated at the Children's Hos- 
pital, at St. Louis, and exempted from military duty. 
Magnetism acts upon him, although he is totally ignorant 
of what is done to him. He becomes somnambulic. The 
symptoms of his malady wear a milder aspect ; the fits be- 
come less frequent ; his headaches and oppression disap- 
pear by the influence of Magnetism ; he prescribes for 
himself a mode of treatment suited to his complaint, and 
promises himself a cure. Magnetized without his own 
knowledge, and from a distance, he yet falls into the som- 
nambulic state, and is roused from it with the same prompt- 
ness as when magnetized by an operator near him. In 
fine, he indicates with uncommon precision, a month or 
two in advance, the day and hour at which he is to have 
a fit of epilepsy. And yet, although endowed with this 



154 PSYCODUNAMY. 

prophetic power in reference to attacks so distant, and 
what, is more, to those which are never to occur, he does 
not foresee that in two days he will be the victim of a fa- 
tal accident. 

" Without endeavoring to reconcile all the discrepancies 
which such an observation may offer at first sight, the com- 
mittee would remind you that Cazot's previsions have refer- 
ence to his fits only — that they amount to no more than the 
consciousness of organic modifications which are in an in- 
cipient state, and take place in him as a necessary result 
of the internal functions — that these previsions, although 
more extended, are altogether similar to those of certain 
epileptics, who know by various premonitory symptoms, 
such as headache, giddiness, ill-humor, and the aura epi- 
leptica, that they will shortly have an attack. Ought it to 
astonish us, then, that somnambulists, whose sensations, as 
you have seen, are extremely acute, should be enabled to fore- 
see their attacks long beforehand, by some internal symptoms 
or impressions which escape the notice of a waking man ? 
This, gentlemen, would serve to explain to us the prevision 
attested by Areteus, in two passages of his immortal works 
by Sauvage, who records an instance of it, and by Cabanis. 
We would add, that Cazot's foresight is not positive or ab- 
solute, but conditional, since, in predicting an attack, he 
announces that it will not take place if he is magnetized, 
and in fact does not. It is altogether organic — internal. 
We can conceive, therefore, why he did not foresee an 
event wholly external, namely, that chance would bring 
him in contact with a fiery horse — that he would be so im- 
prudent as to attempt to stop him, and receive a mortal 
wound. If he foresaw an attack that was never to take 
place, it was but as the hand of a watch, which in a given 
time would pass over a certain portion of the dial-plate, 
but does not because the watch happens to be broken. 

" We have presented you in the two foregoing observa- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 155 

tions, two remarkable instances of internal sight, that 
singular faculty developed during somnambulism, and by 
means of which two magnetized individuals ascertained 
the malady under which they labored, pointed out the 
mode of treatment by which it might be arrested, an- 
nounced its termination, and foresaw its attacks. The 
fact of which we are about to offer you an analysis, has 
presented to us a new point of interest. Here the mag- 
netized, when shown into the somnambulic state, judges 
of the disease of persons put into communication with him, 
determines the nature of it, and prescribes the remedy. 

" Mile. Celine was put into the somnambulic state in 
presence of the committee on the 18th and 21st of April, 
17th of June, 9th of August, 23d of December, 1826, 13th 
and 17th of January, and 21st of February, 1827. 

" On her passing from the waking state to that of som- 
nambulism she experienced a chill, amounting to several 
degrees by the thermometer ; her tongue became dry and 
wrinkled, whereas it was supple and moist before ; her 
breath, previously sweet, became fetid and offensive. 

" Sensibility was almost annihilated as long as her sleep 
lasted, for she made six inspirations with a vial of hydro- 
chloric acid applied to her nostrils, and evinced no emo- 
tion. M. Marc pinched her wrist ; an acupuncturing nee- 
dle was thrust three-eighths of an inch into her left thigh, 
another a quarter of an inch into her left wrist. The two 
needles being united by a galvanic conductor, eonvulsive 
movements of the hands were strongly developed, and 
Mile. Celine appeared unconscious of all that was done 
to her. She heard those who spoke to her if they stood 
close to and touched her, but did not hear the noise occa- 
sioned by the sudden breaking of two plates close beside 
her. 

" While sunk in the somnambulic state, the committee 
three times ascertained that she possessed the faculty of 



156 PSYCODUNAMY. 

discovering the diseases of persons whom she touched, 
and pointing out the remedy calculated to arrest them. 

" The committee found among its members some one 
who was quite willing to be examined by this somnambu- 
list ; this was M. Marc. Mile. Celine was requested to 
look attentively into our colleague's state of health. She 
applied her hand to her forehead, and to the region of her 
heart, and after three minutes, replied that there was a de- 
termination of blood to the head ; that M. Marc had even 
then a pain in the left side of that cavity ; that he often 
labored under an oppression, particularly after eating ; that 
he must often have a slight cough ; that the lower part of 
the chest was surcharged with blood y that something ob- 
structed the passage of food ; that this part, pointing to the 
region of the ' appendice xiphoide,' was contracted ; that 
in order to cure M. Marc it would be necessary to bleed 
him copiously, apply hemlock poultices, and rub with laud- 
anum the lower part of the chest ; that he must drink 
lemonade thickened with gum, eat little and often, and not 
walk immediately after a meal. We were anxious to hear 
from M. Marc whether he felt all the somnambulist an- 
nounced. He told us he did in fact experience an oppres- 
sion when he walked directly after leaving the table ; that 
he had often a cough, and before the experiment he had a 
pain in the left side of the head, but felt no obstruction in> 
the alimentary passage. We were struck with the simi- 
larity of what M. Marc felt and the somnambulist de- 
scribed ; we carefully noted it down, and waited for an- 
other opportunity of realizing this singular faculty. This 
opportunity was granted to the Reporter without his solici- 
tation, by the mother of a young lady to whom his profes- 
sional services had been devoted for a very short time 



Mile, de N * * *, of from twenty-three to twenty-five 
years of age. daughter of the Marquis de N * * *, a pee? 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 157 

of France, had been affected for about two years with as- 
citic dropsy, accompanied by numerous obstructions, some 
of the size of an egg, others as large as the fist, and others 
again as large as an infant's head ; the chief of which 
were situated in the left side of the abdomen. The exterior 
surface of the abdomen was uneven and crimpled, and the 
inequalities thereof corresponded with the obstructions 
seated within it. M. Dupuytren had already tapped 
this patient ten or twelve times, and on every occasion 
drawn a large quantity of clear, limpid, scentless, and un- 
mixed ' albumine. 1 The operation always afforded relief. 

" The Reporter was three times present when the tap- 
ping was performed ; and it was easy for M. Dupuytren 
to ascertain the size and hardness of these tumors, and 
consequently see their inability to cure the patient. They 
however prescribed different remedies, and thought it 
somewhat important that Mile, de N * * * should drink the 
milk of a goat on which mercurial frictions should be per- 
formed. 

"On the 21st of February, 1827, the Reporter called 
for M. Foissac and Mile. Celine, and escorted them to a 
house in Rue du Faubourg-du-Roule, without mentioning 
to them either the name, place of residence, or nature of 
the disease of the person whom he desired the somnambu- 
list to examine. The patient, did not appear in the room 
in which the experiment was made until M. Foissac had 
put Mile. Celine to sleep ; and then, after placing one of 
her hands within her own, she scrutinized her for eight 
minutes, not as a physician would have done by pressing 
upon the abdomen, striking it and examining it in every 
way, but merely by a light and repeated application of her 
hand to the abdomen, chest, back, and head. 

" Being asked what she had observed in Mile, de 
N * * *, she replied, that the whole abdomen was diseased, 
that there was a schirrus and a large quantity of water 
14 



158 PSYCODUNAMY. 

about the spleen ; that the intestines were much swollen, 
that there were abscesses containing worms — tumors as 
large as an egg filled with purulent matter, and that these 
tumors must be painful ; that there was at the bottom of 
the stomach an obstructed gland, as large as three of her 
ringers ; that this gland was in the interior of the stomach, 
and must impede the process of digestion ; that the disease 
was of long standing ; and lastly, that Mile, de N * * * must 
be subject to headaches. She advised an infusion of bo- 
rage and dog-grass with nitre, and five ounces of the juice 
of pellitory, to be taken every morning, with a very small 
quantity of mercury in milk. She added, that the milk of 
a goat, rubbed about half an hour before milking with mer- 
curial ointment, would be better ; she, moreover, prescribed 
the constant application of elder-flower poultices to the ab- 
domen, frictions upon the same part with laurel oil, and, in 
case this could not be procured, with the juice of that 
shrub mixed with the oil of sweet almonds, an enema of 
the decoction of Peruvian bark mixed with some emollient 
decoction. Her diet should consist of white meat, milk 
food, farinaceous substances, and no lemon. She would 
allow her but little wine, a little orange-flower rum, or so- 
lution of peppermint. This treatment was not adopted ; 
and if it had been it could not have saved the patient. She 
died a twelvemonth after, and the body not having been 
opened, it was impossible to verify all the particulars of 
the somnambulist's description. 

" In a delicate case, in which very skilful physicians, 
several of them members of the Academy, had prescribed 
a course of mercury for an obstruction of the cervical 
glands, which they attributed to a venereal infection, the 
family of the patient, who was submitted to this treatment, 
seeing that serious consequences had arisen, wished to 
have the advice of a somnambulist. The Reporter was 
called upon to be present at this consultation, and he avail- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 159 

ed himself in every respect of the fresh opportunity thus 
offered for adding to the committee's previous observations. 
He found a young lady, the Countess de L. F., the entire 
right side of whose neck was obstructed to a great depth 
by a large quantity of glands close to each other. Some 
of them were open, and discharged a purulent yellowish 
matter, 

" Mile. Celine, having been magnetized by M. Foissac 
in the Reporter's presence, and put into communication 
with the patient, said that the stomach had been attacked 
by a substance like poison ; that the intestines were slightly 
inflamed ; that there was a scrofulous affection in the 
upper portion of the right side of the neck, which must 
have been worse than it then appeared ; that by adopting 
the mode of treatment she was going to prescribe, there 
would be an improvement in a fortnight, or three weeks. 
This treatment consisted of eight leeches applied to the 
pit of the stomach, a few grains of magnesia, oatmeal 
gruel, a saline purgative weekly, two enemata per day, 
(one of the decoction of Peruvian bark, and the other, 
immediately after, of the roots of marsh-mallow,) frictions 
of ether on the limbs, a weekly bath, and, for diet, milk 
food, light meats, and an abstinence from wine. This 
prescription was followed for some time, and a remarkable 
amelioration produced. But the impatience of the young 
lady, who did not deem her return to health sufficiently 
rapid, induced the family to call another consultation of 
physicians. It was thereupon decided to resume the mer- 
curial treatment. 

" The Reporter then saw her no more, but heard that 
the administering of mercury had brought on serious con- 
sequences, affecting the side of the stomach, and that she 
died thereof after two months of extreme suffering. A 
description of her case, derived from ocular demonstra- 
tion, and signed by Messrs. Fouquier, Marjolin, Curveil- 



160 PSYCODUNAMY. 

hier, and Foissac, testified, that there existed a scrofulous 
or tuberculous obstruction in the glands of the neck ; two 
small cavities rilled with pus, from the liquefaction of the 
tubercles at the top of the lungs. The mucous membrane 
of the grand reservoir (cul-de-sac) of the stomach was 
entirely destroyed. The above gentlemen, moreover, as- 
certained, that there was nothing to indicate the presence 
of a recent or old venereal taint. 

" It appears from these observations, 1st, That Mile. 
Celine, while in the somnambulic state, pointed out the 
diseases of three persons with whom she was put into 
communication ; 2d, That the declaration of one, the ex- 
amination of the other after three tappings, and of the 
third after death, agreed with what the somnambulist had 
advanced ; 3d, That the several modes of treatment 
prescribed by her, are within the range of remedies 
with which she might be acquainted, and of an order 
of things which she might reasonably recommend ; and, 
4th, That she applied them with some degree of discern- 
ment. 

" To this list of facts, which it has cost us so much 
trouble to collect — which we have noticed with as much 
distrust as attention — which, we have endeavored to clas- 
sify in such a manner as might best enable you to trace 
the development of the phenomena we have witnessed — ■ 
and which we have, above all, sought to present to you 
unencumbered by any such extraneous circumstances as 
would have rendered their explanation more difficult and 
confused — we might add those which ancient and even 
modern history record concerning previsions that have 
been often realized, cures effected by the imposition of 
hands, oracles, ecstasies, convulsions, hallucinations — in 
short, concerning all that, aside from natural phenomena, 
whose explanation is to be found in the action of one body 
on another, attaches itself to the province of psychology, 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 161 

and may be considered as an effect depending on a moral 
influence not to be appreciated by our senses. But the 
committee was instituted to investigate somnambulism — 
to make experiments on this phenomenon, which had not 
been studied by the commissioners of 1784 — and to ren- 
der an account thereof to you. They would, therefore, 
have transgressed the circle you prescribed to their opera- 
tions, if, in seeking to support what they have seen on the 
authority of those who had observed similar facts, they 
had swelled their report with foreign matter. They have 
related with impartiality what they saw with distrust — 
stated in order the observations made under various cir- 
cumstances, with minute, as well as long-protracted atten- 
tion. They can conscientiously offer their report, as a 
faithful description of all they have observed. The ob- 
stacles they have had to encounter are known to you. 
They are in part the cause of the delay attending the pre- 
sentation of the report, the materials for which have been 
long in hand. And yet, we are far from wishing to ex- 
cuse ourselves, or being sorry for this delay, since it gives 
to our observations a character of maturity and reserve, 
which ought, to invite your confidence in the facts we 
relate, and save us from the reproach of enthusiasm and 
prepossession that you might have brought against us had 
we collected them sooner. We would add, that we are 
far from presuming that we have seen all. We therefore 
do not pretend to force upon you as an axiom, that there 
is nothing positive in Magnetism beyond what is mentioned 
in our report. Instead of assigning limits to this depart- 
ment of physiological science, we, on the contrary, enter- 
tain the hope that a new field is open thereto ; and being 
the vouchers for our own observations — presenting them 
with confidence to those who, after us, may wish to oc- 
cupy themselves with the subject of Magnetism, we will 
content ourselves with drawing the following conclusions, 
14* 



162 PSYCODUNAMY. 

which necessarily result from the facts embodied in our 
report : 

Conclusions. 

"1. Contact of the thumbs or hands, frictions or certain 
gestures made at a short distance from the body, and called 
passes, are the means used for putting parties in commu- 
nication, or in other terms, of transmitting the influence of 
the magnetizer to the magnetized. 

"2. Exterior and visible means are not always neces- 
sary, since on several occasions, the power of volition and 
a fixed gaze have sufficed for the development of the mag- 
netic phenomena, even without the knowledge of the 
magnetized. 

" 3. Magnetism has acted on persons of both sexes and 
different ages. 

" 4. The time necessary for transmitting and causing the 
magnetic action to be felt, has varied from half an hour to 
a minute. 

" 5. Magnetism does not usually act upon persons in 
good health. 

" 6. Neither does it appear to act upon all who are sick. 

" 7. At times, when a person is magnetized effects are 
manifested, which being insignificant and fleeting we do 
not attribute to Magnetism alone — such as a slight oppres- 
sion, a little heat or cold, and other nervous phenomena, 
which can be accounted for without the intervention of a 
particular agency, namely, by hope or fear — the anticipa- 
tion and waiting for an unknown and strange result — the 
weariness resulting from the sameness of the gestures — 
the silence and inaction persisted in during the experi- 
ments — and lastly, by the imagination, whose power is so 
great over certain minds and certain organizations. 

" 8. A certain number of effects observed have seemed 
to us to depend on Magnetism alone, and have not been 




ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 163 

reproduced without it. These are well-attested physio- 
logical and therapeutic phenomena. 

" 9. The real effects produced by Magnetism are very 
various — it excites some, tranquillizes others. It most 
commonly gives rise to a momentary acceleration of cir- 
culation and breathing — convulsive movements of the fibres 
of short duration, resembling electric shocks — a greater or 
less degree of numbness — drowsiness — somnolency — and 
in a few cases, that state which magnetizers call somnam- 
bulism. 

" 10. The existence of a peculiar characteristic, by 
which to recognise in all cases the reality of the somnam- 
bulic state, has not been proved. 

"11. It may, however, be confidently inferred that this 
state exists, when it gives rise to the development of new 
faculties, which have been designated by the terms ' clair- 
voyance,' ' intuition,' and ' internal prevision,' or produces 
great changes in the physiological state, as for instance, 
insensibility, a sudden and considerable accession of 
strength, and when this effect cannot be referred to any 
other cause. 

"12. Since among the effects attributed to somnambu- 
lism there are some that may be feigned, somnambulism 
itself may sometimes be feigned, and thus afford charlatan- 
ism the means of deception. 

" Accordingly, in observing these phenomena, which as 
yet present themselves only as insulated facts that cannot 
be reduced to any theory, there is no other means of es- 
caping delusion than by the most attentive examination, 
the strictest precautions, and numerous and varied proofs. 

"13. Sleep, induced more or less promptly, and made 
more or less profound, is a real, but not constant effect of 
Magnetism. 

" 14. It has been demonstrated to us, that it was induced 
under circumstances which rendered it impossible for the 



164 PSYCODUNAMY. 

magnetized to see, or know the means employed for bring- 
ing it on. 

" 15. When a person has been once thrown into the mag- 
netic sleep, it is not always necessary to have recourse to 
contact or passes in order to magnetize him again. The 
look and the will of the magnetizer have the same influence. 
In such a case, it is possible not only to act upon the mag- 
netized, but also to put him into a complete state of som- 
nambulism, and rouse him from it when out of his sight, and 
at a certain distance through closed doors. 

" 16. Changes more or less remarkable are generally ef- 
fected in the perceptions and faculties of individuals who fall 
into the somnambulic state, by the operation of Magnetism : 

" (a.) Some, in the midst of the noise of promiscuous 
conversation, hear only the voice of the magnetizer — 
several reply with great precision to the questions put 
to them by the latter, or by the persons with whom they 
are in communication — others keep up a conversation with 
all around them : however, they seldom hear what is going 
on in their presence. For the greater part of the time, 
they are perfectly unconscious of external and unlooked- 
for noises made in their ears, such as the violent concus- 
sion of copper vessels, or the fall of an article of furniture 
near them, &c. 

" (b.) The eyes are closed, and the lids yield with dif- 
ficulty to the efforts made to open them with the hand. 
This operation, which is not unattended with pain, shows 
the eyeball to be convulsed, and turned sometimes towards 
the upper, at others towards the lower part of the socket. 

"(c.) In some cases the sense of smelling appears to be 
annihilated. They may be made to respire muriatic acid, 
or hartshorn, without being unpleasantly affected by, or 
even conscious of it. The contrary takes place in other 
cases, and they are sensible of odors. 

" (d.) The majority of the somnambulists seen by us 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



165 



were totally insensible ; so that attempts were made to 
tickle their feet, nostrils, and the corners of their eyes, 
with a feather — their skin was pinched so as to leave stag- 
nant blood — pins were thrust beneath the nail suddenly, 
and to a considerable depth, without their evincing the 
slightest pain, or being conscious of what was done. 
Lastly, we have seen one who was insensible to one of 
the most painful of surgical operations, and whose counte- 
nance, pulse, or respiration, betrayed not the least emotion. 

" 17. Magnetism is equally intense, and as promptly felt, 
at the distance of six feet as at that of six inches ; and the 
phenomena developed by it are the same in both cases. 

" 18. Influence at a distance can only, it appears, be 
exerted with success on such individuals as have already 
been wrought upon by Magnetism. 

" 19. We have never seen a person, when magnetized 
for the first time, fall into the somnambulic state. It has 
not, in some instances, manifested itself till the eighth or 
tenth sitting. 

" 20. We have uniformly seen an ordinary sleep, which 
is the repose of the organs of sense, the intellectual facul- 
ties, and cessation of voluntary movements, precede and 
terminate the somnambulic state. 

"21. The magnetized who have come under our obser- 
vation, retain, while in somnambulism, the exercise of all 
their waking faculties. Even their memory appears more 
faithful and comprehensive, since they recollect all that 
has happened during their somnambulism, however often 
they may have been in that state. 

" 22. When awake, they declare that they have entirely 
forgotten every circumstance attending their somnambu- 
lism, and can never recall them. We can have no other 
guarantee for this, than their own assertions. 

" 23. The muscular powers of somnambulists are some- 
times benumbed and paralyzed. At others, their move- 



166 PSYCODUNAMY. 

ments are cramped only, and the patients walk or stagger 
like drunken men, without turning aside from the obstacles 
they meet with in their path ; occasionally, however, the 
reverse of this takes place. There are somnambulists 
who retain in full the power of directing their movements ; 
nay, we have seen some stronger and more active than 
when awake. 

" 24. We have seen two somnambulists distinguish, 
with their eyes closed, objects placed before them ; point 
out, without touching the cards, their color, and value in 
the game ; read words written by hand, or several lines 
from books opened at random. This phenomenon has ta- 
ken place even when the eyelids were firmly closed by 
the pressure of fingers upon them. 

"25. In two somnambulists, we have met with the fac- 
ulty of foreseeing organic changes, more or less remote. 
One of them announced several days, nay months, before- 
hand, the day, hour, and minute of an epileptic fit, and of 
the recurrence of the same ; the other foretold the epoch 
of his cure. Their previsions were realized wilh remark- 
able exactness. They seem to us to extend only to or- 
ganic accidents, either good or bad. 

" 26. We have met with one somnambulist, (and no 
more,) who could designate the symptoms of disease in 
three persons put into communication with her. However, 
our researches were not directed to a sufficient number. 

" 27. In order to establish with accuracy the points of 
affinity between Magnetism and the Art of Healing, it 
would have been needful to observe its effects on a great 
number of individuals, and to make daily experiments for 
a length of time upon the same patients. This not having 
been done, the committee have had to confine themselves 
to a description of what they have seen, and that in too 
limited a number of cases, to presume to offer an opinion 
on this head. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 167 

" 28. Some of the magnetized patients have derived no 
relief. Others have been more or less benefited ; one, for 
instance, in the suspension of habitual pains ; a second, 
in the recovery of his strength ; a third, in a respite of 
several months from epileptic attacks ; and a fourth, in the 
complete cure of a severe paralysis of long standing. 

" 29. Considered as the agent of physiological phenom- 
ena, or a therapeutic medium, Magnetism deserves a place 
on the list of medical acquirements ; and, consequently, 
physicians alone should practise, or direct the practice of 
it, as is the case in the countries of the north. 

" 30. The committee, for want of opportunity, have not 
been able to verify other faculties which somnambulists are 
said by magnetizers to possess. But they have brought 
together, and now communicate, facts of sufficient import- 
ance, in their opinion, to authorize the ' encouragement of 
magnetic researches by the Academy, as a very curious 
branch of psychology and natural history.'' 

" Having reached the termination of their labors, the 
committee, before bringing this Report to a close, asked 
themselves whether — in the numerous precautions against 
surprise with which they have been armed, the feeling of 
distrust with which they have uniformly conducted their 
proceedings, and the examination of the phenomena ob- 
served — whether they have scrupulously fulfilled the duties 
intrusted to them. ' What other course,' said we to each 
other, ' could we have adopted ? What surer means could 
we have employed ? How could we have made our dis- 
trust more pointed, and at the same time more discreet 
than we did?' Our consciences, gentlemen, answered 
boldly, that you could expect nothing from us that we have 
not done. Lastly, have we acted the part of honest, exact, 
and faithful observers ? It is for yon, who have known 
us for so many years ; for you, who meet us in society 
and in our frequent assemblies, to answer this question. 



168 PSYCODUNAMY. 

We await your reply, gentlemen, in the spirit of old 
friends, as we are to a portion of you, and on the con- 
sciousness of possessing the esteem of all of you. It is 
true, we do not presume to flatter ourselves that you will 
fully participate in our conviction of the reality of the phe- 
nomena observed by us, but which you have neither seen, 
followed up, nor studied as we have. 

" We do not, therefore, claim of you a blind belief in all 
the particulars of our report. We conceive that a large 
portion of these facts are so extraordinary that you cannot 
yield us that : perhaps we ourselves should refuse you 
ours, if, changing positions, you should come and announce 
them to us, who, as is the case with you to-day, had seen 
nothing, observed nothing, studied nothing, traced nothing 
to its source. We only ask you to judge us as we would 
you — that is to say, under a conviction that neither a love 
for the marvellous, a desire for celebrity, nor any interest- 
ed feeling whatever, has actuated us throughout our labors. 
We have been animated by higher motives — by motives 
more worthy of you — the love of science, and an earnest 
desire to justify the hopes conceived by the Academy, 
touching our zeal and devotion. 

(Signed) 

" Bourdois de la Motte, Pres. 

FOUQUIER, 

GUENEAU DE MuSSY, 

GlJERSENT, 

Itard, 

J. J. Leroux, 
Marc, 
Thillaye. 
" Husson, Reporter." 

N. B. Messrs. Double and Magendie, not having been 
present at the experiments, have not thought proper to sign 
the report. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 169 

This report was listened to by the Royal Academy with 
the greatest attention and interest. In vain did some vio- 
lent opponents of Magnetism endeavor to disturb the deep 
silence of the assembly ; an immense majority repressed 
indignantly the attempt, and loud and general applause re- 
paid Dr. Husson's courage and ability 

15 






170 rSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER VII. 

DR. BERNa's EXPERIMENTS, AND REPORT ON THEM BY X. 
DUBOIS d'amiens, 1837. 

Nevertheless, it could not be expected that such a 
great and glorious victory should be borne patiently by 
men who had previously spoken so openly and publicly 
with utter contempt of Psycodunamy ; too much vanity, 
too many interests, prejudices, and false notions, hereto- 
fore cherished and blindly defended, were hurt and set at 
naught, to let it pass without a struggle. An opportunity 
of revenge did not fail to present itself, and eagerly did the 
adverse party avail themselves of it. Dr. Berna, full of 
the most honorable zeal, but perhaps too confiding, was in- 
duced to solicit another investigation of Magnetism, in a 
letter that he wrote to the Royal Academy on the 21st of 
February, 1837, stating that he had two somnambulists 
who could exhibit facts so conclusive, as to satisfy by per- 
sonal experience the most skeptical members of the 
Academy. 

Messrs. Roux, as president of a new commission, Bouil- 
laud, Cloquet, Emery, Pelletier, Caventou, Cornac, Oudet, 
as members, and Dubois d'Amiens as a Reporter, were 
appointed to inquire into the facts spoken of by Dr. Berna. 
Their report was read in the session of the 7th of August, 
1837. M. Dubois, after some rather prolix and satirical 
considerations, which he styled Academical History of 
Magnetism, came at length to the experiments of Dr. Ber- 
na, and expressed himself in the following terms : 

" Gentlemen : — Let us say, in the first place, that it re- 
sults from all the facts and circumstances we witnessed, 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 171 

that no special proof, no satisfactory evidence has ever 
been given to us as to the existence of that peculiar state, 
yclept ' magnetic somnambulism.' It was only by way of 
assertion, and not of demonstration, that the magnetizer 
proceeded, declaring on each occasion, and before making 
any experiment, that his subjects were in the somnambulic 
state. 

" In the programme presented to us by the magnetizer, 
it is true it was stated that previous to somnambulization 
we should ascertain that the subject enjoyed in full the 
natural sensibility, and that we could prick her in order to 
satisfy ourselves as to the truth of it, and then the subject 
should be put to sleep in our presence. 

" But from the trials we made on the third of March ul- 
timo, it results that the subject of the experiments did not 
feel our pricking any more before than after the magnetic 
operation. The countenance and answers were nearly the 
same previous to the pretended sleep as when it was said 
to be produced. 

" Was it done by error on her part ? Was it the result 
of an impassibility, natural or acquired by practice ? Was 
it to appear more interesting to us, and so more surely 
conciliating our feelings towards her ? We are unable to 
decide. It is equally true that each time we have been 
told she was asleep ; but it was a mere ' saying,' and no 
more. 

" Yet, if further evidence of somnambulism is to be af- 
forded by our subsequent experiments on subjects pretending 
to be in that state, the worth of such evidence will be clearly 
set forth in the following conclusions : 

" According to the programme, the second experiment 
was to ascertain the insensibility of the subject. 

" But restrictions were imposed on us. The face was 
not to be experimented upon, nor any other part usually 
covered with clothes. So we had only the hands and neck 



172 PSYCOBUNAMY. 

left to us, and even on them we were not allowed to tear, 
burn, or cut the flesh, but merely to prick with needles to 
the depth of about the twelfth part of an inch. Moreover, 
the face was partially covered with a veil, in such a way 
as to prevent us from perceiving the full expression of the 
features while we tried to cause pain. 

11 Hence it follows that — 

" 1. The painful sensations to be produced were of a 
very moderate character. 

" 2. These moderate sensations were to be produced on 
parts used perhaps to experience them. 

" 3. These sensations amounted to nothing more than a 
slight tattooing. 

" 4. The eyes, and that part of the face where pain is 
particularly expressed, were hidden to us. 

" 5. In such circumstances, complete and absolute im- 
passibility could not have been considered by us as a satis- 
factory evidence of the abolition of sensibility on the afore- 
said subject. 

"Asa third experiment, the magnetizer was to prove to 
us that, by the sole intervention of his will, he had the 
power to restore, either partially or totally, the sensibility 
of his somnambulist. 

" But as it was impossible for him to satisfy us that he 
had abolished the sensibility of his subject, of course it 
was equally impossible to demonstrate to us the restoration 
of the said sensibility ; and moreover, all the trials in that 
respect proved a complete failure — the somnambulist sta- 
ting things altogether different from what the magnetizer 
expected. You are aware, gentlemen, that our only means 
of acquiring such knowledge were the assertions of the 
somnambulist ; and, although she declared to us that she 
was unable to move her left limb for instance, we could 
not take her word for it as an evidence that her limb was 
actually paralyzed by the magnetic action. But even 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 173 

granting the truth of her declarations, what she declared 
was not in accordance with the pretensions of her mag- 
netizer ; so that the whole of it amounted only to asser- 
tions without proofs, contradicting other assertions equally 
void of proofs. 

" What we have just related in regard to the pretended 
abolition and restitution of sensibility, may be applied, in 
every respect, to the pretended abolition and restoration of 
the power of motion, which were to be the fourth and fifth 
orders of experiments. No satisfactory evidence has been 
given to us. 

" One of the paragraphs of the programme, in the latter 
line of experiments, reads thus : 

" ' Obeying the mental command of stopping to speak 
and move in the middle of a conversation with any chosen 
person.' 

" The magnetizer, on the 13th of May last, endeavored 
to prove to us that the silent power of his will could go so 
far as to produce this result. 

" But the facts that transpired this time, demonstrated 
that the somnambulist appeared already deaf before the 
magnetizer began to will her to be so, and the deafness 
was gone when positively the magnetizer was willing her 
to be deaf. So, according to the assertions of the somnam- 
bulist, her faculty of hearing had been, this time, in open 
revolt with the will of her magnetizer. Yet, in drawing 
our conclusions from a candid appreciation of those facts, 
we acknowledge neither a revolt nor a passive obedience, 
but a complete and natural independence, and no more. 

" Yielding to the solicitations of the members of your 
committee, the magnetizer consented to give up his aboli- 
tions and restitutions of sensibility and motion, and to pro- 
ceed to the examination of facts of greater importance, — 
namely, the faculty of seeing without using the eyes, 
which was to constitute the sixth class of experiments. 

15* 



174 PSYCODUNAMY. 

" Dr. Berna was to show to your committee a woman 
who, by the power of his magnetic manoeuvrings, could 
decipher words, discern playing-cards, and follow the 
hands of a watch, through the instrumentality of her occi- 
put instead of her eyes, — facts that would demonstrate 
either the transposition, or the uselessness and superfluity 
of the organs of vision in the somnambulic state. These 
experiments took place on the 5th of April, and failed in 
toto.* 

" All that the somnambulist knew beforehand — all that 
she could infer from what was going on around her — all 
that she could naturally guess at, she told readily enough ; 
and we accordingly concluded that she was not deficient 
in skill. So, for instance, when the magnetizer audibly 
invited one of us to write a word on a card and present it 
to the occiput of the woman, she said she could see a 
card, and even some writing on it. When asked how 
many persons were present, she answered approximately 
as to the number of them, as she had seen or heard them 
coming in. When required to tell if she could see one of 
the members of your committee near her, who was engaged 
in writing, and whose pen made a noise as it travelled 
upon the paper, she raised her head and tried to see under 
her bandage, remarking that this gentleman had something 
white in his hand. When further invited to tell if she 
saw the mouth of the same gentleman, who, having done 
writing, was standing behind her, she said he had some- 
thing white in his mouth. All these circumstances in- 
duced us to conclude that this somnambulist, better trained 



* M. Dubois d' Amiens is guilty here of a rather gross oversight 
How could Dr. Berna, or any body else, " give up" any thing " on the 
13iA of May" as previously stated, " to proceed" to something more 
important " on the 5th of April," as he now says ? Did the month of 
May, in the year 1837, come before the month of April 1 




ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 175 

and more acute than the other, knew better how to make 
probable suppositions. 

" But as to positive facts, that would clearly demon- 
strate the seeing of objects by the occiput, we not only- 
failed in eliciting any, but the developments were of such 
a nature as to cause strange suspicions of the morality of 
this woman, as we soon will prove. 

" The seventh class of experiments was on Clair- 
voyance. 

" Despairing of satisfying us about the transposition or 
the uselessness and superfluity of the eyes in the ' som- 
nambulic state,' the magnetizer took refuge in facts of 
' Clairvoyance,' or the ability of seeing through opaque 
bodies. 

" Here facts carry along with them a self-evident con- 
clusion — viz., that the subject could not see through her 
bandage what a person held before her. But here a con*- 
sideration of higher importance presented itself to our 
minds. Even if we were willing to admit the rather con- 
venient hypothesis of the magnetizers, that, in many cir- 
cumstances, the best of somnambulists are apt to be sud- 
denly deprived of their lucidity, and that then, like the 
vulgar, they no longer see through their occiput or their 
stomach — nay, not even with their eyes when blindfolded, 
— conceding all this, I say, since they claim it so urgently 
— but what will you think of a woman who gave an accu- 
rate description of objects different from those shown to 
her ? What will you think of a somnambulist who de- 
scribes a jack of spades on a blank card — who in an aca- 
demical medal sees a gold watch, white dial, black figures 
— who, perhaps, would have told us the time on it, had 
we but insisted 1 

" And now, gentlemen, if you ask us what general and 
last conclusion we draw from all the experiments we wit- 
nessed, we will declare that there can be not even the 



176 PSYCODUNAMY. 

shadow of a doubt as to M. Berna having-, to say the least, 
deceived himself, when, on the 21st of February last, he 
wrote to the Academy that he could give us the personal 
experience we were in need of, (these are his own ex- 
pressions) — when he promised to furnish us with conclu- 
sive facts — when he boasted that those facts would en- 
lighten both Physiology and Therapeutics. These facts 
are now all known to you, and you are convinced, like 
ourselves, that they prove nothing in favor of the magnetic 
doctrine, and have nothing to do with either Physiology 
or Therapeutics. 

" Should we have found any thing else in other facts, 
more numerous, more varied, and presented by other mag- 
netizers ? Without venturing to decide the question, this, 
at least, is certain — that rf there are at present other 
magnetizers, they did not dare to come to us in the open 
day — they did not dare to seek any longer either the sanc- 
tion or the reprobation of the Academy. 
(Signed,) 

" Messrs. Roux, President, 
Bouillaud, 
Cloquet, 
Emery, 
Pelletier, 
Caventou, 

CORNAC, 
OUDET, 

" Dubois d'Amiens, Reporter." 

In consequence of the foregoing report, Dr. Berna wrote 
to the President of the Royal Academy of Medicine the 
following letter : — 

" Mr. President : — I do solemnly protest before the 
Academy against the report lately made to them by M. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 177 

Dubois d'Amiens, on some experiments on Animal Mag- 
netism, in which I am concerned. I do impugn the re- 
port in toto. 

" 1st. For purposely and sedulously omitting the most 
important and conclusive facts. 

" 2d. For misrepresenting all those which it mentions, 
and giving a false coloring to the whole proceeding. 

" 3d. For having disguised the conduct of the commit- 
tee ; representing them as imagining, and me as rejecting, 
the very conditions that I, on the contrary, first and fore- 
most required as essential. 

" In a word, I openly denounce this work as a string 
of shameful artifices, designedly calculated to deceive and 
mislead the Royal Academy. 

" I do declare, that the experiments the committee wit- 
nessed were but the beginning of what I proposed to 
show them. I do declare, on my honor, that I never 
' gave up,' and would not have stopped making experi- 
ments, if the members of the committee had not constantly 
violated, not only the conditions agreed upon between us 
as necessary to the success of the experiments, but spe- 
cially the positive promise of writing and reading the min- 
utes of each experiment on the spot and in my presence, 
which, every time, they slyly avoided under one pretext 
or another, in spite of my earnest reclamations. 

" The necessity of making without delay the present 
protestation, does not allow me to enter into other particu- 
lars ; but I will shortly furnish the Academy with a com- 
plete refutation, supported on irrefragable evidences, and 
on the very words of the report, to substantiate my unre- 
served charges of falsehood and dishonesty against the 
work of the Reporter. 

" Very respectfully, &c. 

" Berna, M. D. Parisiensis." 



178 PSYCOBUNAMY. 

The refutation announced by Dr. Berna appeared in 
print about two months after his letter. In order not to 
swell beyond measure this part of my work, I leave it out, 
and will say only that nothing can be more satisfactory 
than the evidences it affords of the partiality and bad faith 
of the Reporter. It at once shows the wilful omission of 
thirty-three experiments perfectly conclusive, and how, at 
that rate, the sum of those purposely left out would amount 
to over a hundred for the three subsequent instances. It 
restores to the disfigured facts their true character. It 
points out the attempt to impose upon the public, by giving 
the name of Cloquet among the members of the committee, 
without mentioning the first name, Hyppolite, in order to 
induce the people at large to believe that it was Jules 
Cloquet, under the sanction of whose great name the Re- 
porter was aware he should make a better case — a little 
artifice, which, in an unguarded hour, M. Dubois confessed 
to some friends he had resorted to, as an innocent ruse de 
guerre, calculated to give more importance and weight to 
his work ; finally, he challenges the Reporter to clear 
himself from all these charges. Of course they remained 
undenied, because undeniable. 

But even before the reading of the protest of Dr. Berna, 
M. Husson (on the 22d of August, 1837) delivered his 
opinion on the report of M. Dubois d'Amiens, in the fol- 



lowing manner :- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 179 



CHAPTER VIII. 

OPINION OF DR. HUSSON ON Tlffe REPORT OF M. DUBOIS 

d'amiens. 

" Gentlemen : — You may have been surprised, that 
on the occasion of experiments made on two somnambu- 
lists, whom Dr. Berna had proposed to be examined by a 
committee of the Academy, M. Dubois d'Amiens came 
forward and read to you a work which he styled, ' A Re- 
port on Magnetism.' Under a title so general, you very 
likely expected to see all the questions connected with 
Magnetism thoroughly investigated ; you were at last to 
know what to think of somnambulism, insensibility, the 
internal sense, prevision, sight without the use of the eyes, 
or through some other organ — in a word, of all the facts 
which Magnetism claims and records. We have been all 
disappointed. For, instead of a solution of those different 
questions, the work read to us was nothing but a fancy 
sketch, which the author styled, ' An Academical History 
of Magnetism in France, from, the year 1784 to the pres- 
ent time ;' containing the expose of some experiments on 
two individuals who pretended to be somnambulists, fol- 
lowed by conclusions drawn in a general form as neces- 
sary consequences of those two single facts, as if nothing 
more had been or ever could be seen. 

" I was compelled to point out this first want of exact- 
ness, for it shows a pretension far beyond the mandate of 
the committee. They were to report on the experiments 
made on the two subjects of Dr. Berna, and not on Mag- 
netism in general ; their duty was limited, but the report 
extends ad infinitum. It was merely to be called, and to 



ISO PSYCODUNAMY. 

be in fact, ■ a report on experiments made on two somnam- 
bulists.' 

" However, the report is made up of the three parts I 
have stated, and so the field for discussion is more con- 
fined and easy. I would enter it immediately had I not 
two prefatory observations to submit to the Academy. 

" 1st. It is neither the precautions taken in making the 
experiments, nor the results, that I intend to attack. I de- 
clare, even in advance, that I believe all the committee 
have done and seen. But, as a committee are answerable 
only for the exactness and actuality of the facts they in- 
vestigate — as they remain complete strangers to the wri- 
ting of the minutes, with which they intrust one of their 
number — I attack the faithfulness, the mode of writing — ■ 
in a word, the work solely of the Reporter. 

" 2d. According to M. Dubois d'Amiens, the Academy, 
in designating the members of the committee, acted very 
wisely in selecting persons known as entertaining different 
opinions — some in favor, some against Magnetism ; for, 
says he, the Academy, well aware of their uprightness, 
had in this a guarantee that the facts would be fairly in- 
vestigated and faithfully recorded. For my part, I respect 
infinitely the decision of the Academy ; but I do feel at 
liberty to take a different view of the subject, and not to 
judge the conduct of the Academy with the same compla- 
cency as the Reporter. In looking over the formation of 
the committee I see five of the members, w T ho, by their 
writings or the public and unreserved manifestation of 
their convictions, are openly enlisted among those who 
refuse to admit the existence of Magnetism. It is their 
own faith, their own creed. I respect it ; and above all, 
I profess no contempt for it, nor do I seek to persecute 
them on that account — a treatment so common towards 
those who hold opinions that differ from our own. Asso- 
ciated with them, I see four other gentlemen, whom I 




ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 181 

know to be perfectly indifferent on the subject, two of 
whom have made a public avowal of their indifference. 
You cannot, then, invalidate so positive a declaration, 
without pretending to know better the conviction of those 
members than they do themselves. This committee, then, 
is not composed, as the Reporter pretends, of persons of 
different opinions, since, without a single partisan, there 
are four indifferent and five opponent members. I do not 
think, as the Reporter does, that such a committee were 
preferable to members who would have no preconceived 
opinions on the subject. Every one will easily grant, 1 
suppose, that if the members had been, like those of the 
committee appointed in 1826, known neither by the publi- 
cation of writings or a public manifestation of hostile or 
favorable opinions, they would have been more free from 
prejudices, and less trammelled by that propensity which 
prevents human weakness from readily acknowledging the 
erroneousness of our opinions. They would then have 
been truly independent, truly impartial, and their assertion 
would thus have had more weight, if a guarantee, superior 
to the evidence of the facts, had been required. 

" But, instead of this important and even necessary 
condition to any equitable judgment, I see in the organ 
himself, in the very interpreter of the committee, the au- 
thor of a pamphlet published in 1S33, styled ' An Histori- 
cal and Rational Examination of the pretended Magnetic 
Experiments, made by the Committee of the Royal Acade- 
my of Medicine' — a writing in which (page 5) he declares 
* to have sworn an eternal war against the magnetizersj and 
has accumulated irony, ridicule, and sarcasms, not only on 
the report, but also on the members of the committee, for 
the minute and extreme precautions used in their experi- 
ments. 

" You will confess, gentlemen, that it would have been 
exceedingly improbable that such a prepossession should 
16 



182 PSYCODUNAMY. 

not have governed M. Dubois d' Amiens, in spite of himself 
most likely, when writing the minutes of the facts he read 
to you ; for, situated as he was, between the satirical 
spirit that dictated his first small book, and the shame of 
now acknowledging that his previous judgment had been 
formed in haste, who could have escaped the dilemma of 
his position, and resisted the temptation of making to us a 
report that might be considered as an appendix or a sup- 
plement of his former work ? Yet, would he not have 
deserved more credit in acting only the simple part of a 
mere observer 1 Are we wrong in doubting if any other 
member of this assembly, after thus committing himself, 
would have consented to take the responsibility of making 
the report 1 

" However, as no dissension can arise between us as to 
the judgment that the committee have passed on the facts 
observed by them, and as it is only with the work of the 
Reporter that I find fault, I come now to the examination 
of it ; and, in order to omit nothing, I will follow the re- 
port in each of the parts that compose it. 

" The first part, dedicated to the Academical History of 
Magnetism in France, begins with the enumeration of the 
circumstances which induced the Academy to reconsider 
the question of Magnetism. The Reporter relates the 
communication made on the 24th of January last by M. 
Oudet, in regard to the extraction of a tooth from a woman 
during the magnetic sleep ; and then, without speaking of 
another communication made eight days later, on the 31st 
of the same month, by M. Jules Cloquet, he passes to the 
letter written by Dr. Berna, on the 12th of February — a 
letter, in which that gentleman flatters himself with being 
able to give to those who consider testimony as nothing, 
personal experience as means of conviction. The Re- 
porter then proceeds by a statement of the manner in 
which, on the 14th of the same month, the Academy ap- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY 



183 



pointed a committee to witness the experiments of Dr. 
Berna. 

" But why, and for what purpose, does the Reporter omit 
to tell you that, eight days after the communication of Mr. 
Oudet, M. J. Cloquet made another communication of 
far more importance 1 The subject of it was, the extir- 
pation of a cancerous breast during the magnetic sleep. 
It was undoubtedly an operation more remarkable, more 
painful, of a longer duration, and much more dangerous, 
than the extraction of a tooth. It was a fact that might 
have appeared to the Royal Academy sufficiently striking 
and wonderful to authorize them, even before the receipt 
of the letter of Dr. Berna, in devoting some attention to 
the study of that singular power which deadens the sensi- 
bility, during one of the greatest surgical operations, to 
such a degree as to induce the operator to tell you that, 
seeing how complete was the insensibility, and being anx- 
ious to know how long it would last, he was in no haste 
in performing the extirpation. The chronological order 
required, assuredly, that such a fact should have been 
mentioned as one of the motives for the decision of the 
Academy. But had it been done, it would have again, 
and more forcibly, called the public attention to those 
amazing instances of insensibility witnessed by two mem- 
bers of this body, and attested by one of them, a master in 
that branch of the science, since he is a professor of clinical 
surgery ; and in a report that was only to admit negative 
facts, this would have been out of place. Yet, since you 
coveted the reputation of having written a complete and 
faithful Academical History of Magnetism, you ought to 
have known that history does not allow such omissions ; 
and that, if they are not positively a fraud, they most 
shamefully border on it ! 

" The Reporter then summarily relates the experiments 
made in 1784, by the commissioners appointed by the king, 



184 PSYCODUNAMY. 

and selected by him from among the members of the Royal 
Academy of Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, 
and the Royal Society of Medicine. He reminds you of 
the conclusions drawn by those commissioners, and quotes 
with emphasis the celebrated names of Franklin, Bailly, 
Lavoisier, Darcet, &c. But he is very careful not to say 
how, at that period, (fifty-five years ago,) those illustrious 
men conducted their experiments. I will fill up that other 
omission of the report. The Academy will decide if it was 
truly impartial to overlook these particulars ; and if a judg- 
ment, after so careless and superficial an examination, must 
be admitted as irrevocable, and is calculated to inspire un- 
bounded confidence." 

Here M. Husson quoted the very words of his first report 
on Psycodunamy, (page 33 of this work,) then he resumed : 

" But, if those experiments had even been made with 
all the accuracy that characterizes modern investigations, 
we should still say that they have not and could not have 
resolved this question ! Does not time, in its march, ad- 
vance with a daily progress every science ? and is not what 
is one day considered as true, often on the very next 
stamped as erroneous ? Who, it might have been said 
twelve years ago, would have dared, at the beginning of 
this century, to oppose Newton's theory of light ? It was 
then a law in natural philosophy, and remained so till 
Malus discovered the phenomena of polarization, and 
Newton's theory was at once overthrown." 

Here again M. Husson forcibly repeated what he had 
said on the necessary changes that time has always pro- 
duced, not only in medical tenets, but even in judicial deci- 
sions: (See page 31 of this work.) He then proceeded anew: 

" The present judgments of scientific bodies, like the 
present judicial decisions, can be no law for the future. 
They never could bind the ages to come. The works of 
our predecessors have no more power — they are mere land- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 185 

marks that serve to point the way in the field of science — 
ignorance alone can consider them as limits not to be tres- 
passed upon ! Who could build indestructible barriers to 
arrest the progress of the human mind ? The onward 
march of progress is stronger than those pitiful trammels ; 
it necessarily overthrows them in its slow, but irresistible 
movement. The authority of old names, to which the 
Reporter appeals so confidently, is now powerless, and can 
seduce nobody. It vanishes before new names, and above 
all, before new facts. I rely a thousand-fold more on the 
experiments you have made to-day, than on all the doings 
and sayings of the royal commissioners of 1784. 

" Yet, gentlemen, do not believe that those commissioners 
of 1784 were deputed by the bodies to which they belonged. 
Let me undeceive you on that score. The Academy of 
Sciences had constantly disregarded the endeavors of Mes- 
mer to induce them to witness his experiments. The fame 
— the high position of M. Leroi, who was then the presi- 
dent of that body, and had himself seen some magnetic 
experiments, proved to be of no avail to change their reso- 
lution. The Royal Society of Medicine could never agree 
with Mesmer, because he refused to submit to certain con- 
ditions which they wished to dictate previously to their ap- 
pointing a committee. The Faculty of Medicine equally 
refused their attention to Magnetism, because they were 
fearful to give more celebrity, not only to Mesmer, but to 
one of the members of the Faculty whom M. Dubois 
d' Amiens calls a certain M. Deslon ; who was, neverthe- 
less, one of the most celebrated doctors, a regent of the 
Faculty, a man of the highest standing and character, and 
physician to the Count d'Artois, brother of the king. 

" It was after those successive refusals that Louis XVI., 

yielding to the solicitations of the queen-— the unfortunate 

Marie- Antoinette, to whom Mesmer had been recommended 

by her kindred and friends from Vienna, and to those of 

10* 



186 PSYCODUNAMY. 

his brother, according to the wishes of his own physician, 
Dr. Deslon ; — it was then, I say, that the king appointed, 
by an act of his all-powerful authority, some commission- 
ers, whom he had, of course, to choose from among the 
members of the institutions which had refused to examine 
the new doctrine ; because, among them were to be found 
the persons most likely to enlighten the public on the worth 
of Magnetism. They were then the king's commissioners, 
and it was to him, and not to the scientific bodies to which 
they belonged, that they were to report, and actually did 
so. The first page of their report is an evidence of this 
fact, and I will read it to you : 

" ' On the 12th of March, 1784, the king appointed some 
physicians, selected from among the Faculty of Paris — 
Messrs. Borie, Sallin, Darcet, and Guillotin — to examine 
Animal Magnetism as practised by M. Deslon, and report 
to him on the subject ; and, granting the request of those 
four physicians, he designated, to join them in their exam- 
ination, five members of the Royal Academy of Science, 
namely, Messrs. Franklin, Leroi, Bailly, De Bory, and 
Lavoisier.' 

" On the other hand, I will read a similar paragraph in 
the report of the Royal Society of Medicine. Here it is — 

" ' We have been chosen by the Baron de Breteuil, 
agreeably to the orders of the king, to witness the practice 
of Dr. Deslon, who applies Animal Magnetism to the cure 
of diseases ; and to make on the subject a detailed report, 
that he will himself put into the hands of the king.' 

" Those commissioners were — Messrs. Poissonnier- 
Desperieres, Mauduit, Andry, Caille, and De Jussieu. 

" Those two commissions made their reports to the king, 
namely, those from the Academy of Sciences and the 
Faculty of Medicine on the 11th of August, 1784, and 
those of the Royal Society of Medicine on the 17th of 
the same month. 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



187 



" The commissioners chosen from among the members 
of the Faculty read, on the 24th of August, to their asso- 
ciates, as a matter of mere favor, the report they had made ; 
and, without any discussion on the subject, received the 
thanks of the members present for their polite attention. 
The commissioners of the Royal Society of Medicine did 
exactly the same, and, without any other comment, received 
similar thanks from their associates. From that time, it has 
been bruited far and wide, that the question of Animal Mag- 
netism was irrevocably and most fairly settled. 

" Such, gentlemen, is the faithful history of those two 
reports, which M. Dubois d'Amiens represents as having 
been minutely discussed by each society, and adopted by 
academical majorities. I should feel indebted to him if he 
would let us know where and when took place those wise 
and luminous discussions — those long and mature delib- 
erations which he wishes you still to consider as binding 
laws ; for my accurate researches prove to me that there 
has been none — none whatever ! Nay, although these so- 
cieties were known to be hostile to the cause of Magnetism, 
to construe their thanks for an officious reading of the work 
of the commissioners into an unqualified approval of their 
having made an unfavorable report, cannot but be consid- 
ered, even by the most indulgent critic, as a rather discred- 
itable use of the rhetorical figure known among scholars 
by the name of hyperbole. 

" A fourth serious omission, which I do not know how to 
qualify, is that of passing by the works of the two commit- 
tees appointed by the Academy in 1825 and 1826, and the 
report read to you in 1831. M. Dubois d'Amiens pretends 
to write the history of Magnetism in the scientific societies 
of France, and yet forgets the labors of the Academy which 
have just opened their door to him, and before whom he 
speaks ! Since he was so anxious to refresh your memory 
about the conclusions of the commissioners of 1784, it ap- 



188 PSYCODUNAMY. 

pears to me that it would have been but just — nay, I should 
say honest, to mention the prudent and considerate meas- 
ures resorted to by the Academy for the solution of the 
simple question, ' Is it proper that the Academy should re- 
consider the question of Animal Magnetism V Was it not 
his duty, if he wished to be a faithful historian, to say that 
this question, brought up by Dr. Foissac, had been referred, 
for examination, to a special committee composed of Messrs. 
Adelon, Pariset, Marc, Burdin-Aine, and Husson; and that 
on the 13th of December, 1831, this committee had made 
a report, the final conclusion of which was, ' to adopt the 
proposition of Dr. Foissac, and intrust a special committee 
with the mandate of making a study and examination of 
Animal Magnetism?' He ought also to have said that the 
discussion of the -report lasted during three different ses- 
sions, namely, the 10th and 24th of January, and the 26th 
of February, 1826 ; and that, on this last day, the committee 
answered all the objections made to them ; and lastly, that 
after those three sessions, exclusively devoted to discussions 
on the subject, the report and conclusions were — a circum- 
stance unprecedented in a matter of science, and which has 
never since occurred — adopted, after the secret voting of 
the sixty members present, comprising the whole Academy, 
by a majority of thirty -five votes against twenty-five. This 
is an historical fact which ought to have been recorded in 
his work, and I loudly accuse him, as Reporter of his 
committee, for his culpable silence upon so remarkable an 
event. 

" I proceed. After his retrograde march of fifty-five 
years, to disinter the opinions of men that are no more, 
was it not the duty of M. Dubois d'A miens to men- 
tion the works accomplished in his own days by the com- 
mittee of 1826? Ought he not to have reminded you, 
how, after six years of trouble, vexations, and perseverance, 
this committee, composed of as large a number of members 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



189 



as the rules of the Academy authorize — viz., Messrs. Bour- 
dois, Leroux, Itard, Marc, Fouquier, Gueneau de Mussy, 
Thillaye, Guersent, Magendie, Double, and Husson- — 
made their report, on the 21st and 28th of June, 1831, in 
which they demonstrated that the Magnetism they studied 
and examined, was not the same which some persons pre- 
tend to have been judged in 1784 ; that the question was 
no longer about tubs, wands, conductors, crises, music, 
and numerous meetings of persons to be magnetized, nor 
chains, nor convulsions, nor magnetized trees, &c, &c. ; 
but that ' somnambulism,' a new phenomenon, unknown to 
the commissioners of 1784, had been since observed, and 
had specially called the attention of the members of said 
committee. All this is nothing but history, the true and 
impartial history of Magnetism. But, no ! indefatigable 
in his ' eternal war against the magnetizersj M. Dubois 
d'Amiens has preserved an absolute silence on this new 
position, on this new fact, heretofore inexplicable. He 
has accumulated the declarations opposed to Magnetism, 
collecting those declarations from works buried fifty-five 
years ago, and sedulously avoided mentioning any circum- 
stance favorable to that cause — any opinions of living men, 
who could have defended themselves if they had been at- 
tacked. Should we rightly characterize such conduct, did 
we call it honest ? Do you call this impartiality ? Is 
it thus that history ought to be written 1 

" This historical part of the report occupies two hundred 
and fourteen lines of the political newspaper in which M. 
Dubois d'Amiens had it inserted the very next day after 
its delivery in this assembly. The one only sentence, in 
which he speaks of the committee of 1826, occupies but 
four lines and a half — that is to say, the forty-second part. 
Here is the sentence : ' We will not relate the history of 
the wonderful experiments made by a committee of the 
Academy, in 1826. We respect their convictions; but 



I 



190 PSYCODUNAMY. 

their report is not the expression of the opinion of the 
whole Academy.' 

" I will answer each and every part of this sen- 
tence : — 

" What prevented you from relating that history? You 
did so for the commissioners of 1784, and you refuse to do 
it for the committee of 1826! — a committee who alone 
emanated from an academical election, and, consequently, 
whom alone you ought to have mentioned — a committee, 
the most numerous ever appointed on any subject, the 
members of which are still present in this assembly, and 
whose chairs I see next to yours. Would you, if you 
had mentioned the experiments — would you have denied 
the facts that we have seen ; facts that you have not wit- 
nessed, and of which, consequently, you cannot consider 
yourself a competent judge 1 Is your belief to be gained 
only by facts opposed to Magnetism ? Do you reject in- 
discriminately all the facts which substantiate an opinion 
contrary to your own — all the facts that are attested by 
men just as careful, just as wise, just as clear-sighted, just 
as judicious as yourself? Those facts, I know, go against 
your printed and widely-circulated opinion ; still, they are 
facts as authentic, as positive, as true, and as well-observ- 
ed, as any of those which you told us transpired before 
you. You say they are wonderful, but ought you, on that 
account, to conclude that they did not take place ? Is the 
compass of your mind — nay, of the human mind in gen- 
eral — to be the measure of the actuality of all the vjonder- 
Jul facts that surround us 1 We ourselves believe in your 
experiments, although we did not witness them ; yet you 
— you refuse to speak of ours, solely because they contra- 
dict your preconceived notions. But, be well persuaded 
that, although they disagree with you, they do, neverthe- 
less, exist in their entire and stubborn reality. You say, you 
respect our convictions. Must we thank you for so kind 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



191 



and generous a concession ? Must we be grateful that 
you vouchsafe to let fall on us the pity that lunatics in- 
spire ? 

" Lastly, you concluded that our report cannot be con- 
sidered as the expression of the opinion of the whole 
Academy. Did we ever pretend that it was ? The evi- 
dence that we did not is to be found in the last sentences 
of the report which your pamphlet has so earnestly en- 
deavored to vilify by all kinds of injurious epithets. 

" Here are our very words : 

" ' We do not, therefore, claim of you a blind belief in all 
the particulars of our report. We conceive that a large 
portion of these facts are so extraordinary that you cannot 
yield us that : perhaps we ourselves should refuse you 
ours, if, changing positions, you should come and announce 
them to us, who, as is the case with you to-day, had seen 
nothing, observed nothing, studied nothing, traced nothing 
to its source. We only ask you to judge us as we would 
you — that is to say, under a conviction that neither a love 
for the marvellous, a desire for celebrity, nor any interest- 
ed feeling whatever, has actuated us throughout our labors, 
We have been animated by higher motives — by motives 
more worthy of you — the love of science, and an earnest 
desire to justify the hopes conceived by the Academy, 
touching our zeal and devotion.' 

" We had not then the pretension yon appear anxious to 
oppose. If you yourself should have such a one for your 
own work, the Academy, whose judgment I expect with 
confidence, is too equitable not to prove how wrong it 
would be for you to cherish such a hope. 

" Gentlemen, having pointed out to you the capital 
omissions that abound in the first part of the report of M. 
Dubois d'Amiens, 1 cannot, in examining the second part 
of it, refrain from expressing how far it appears to me to 
trespass on the limits of decency and self-respect, which 



192 PSYCODUNAMY. 

previously to this had uniformly characterized the works 
of all reporters in this assembly. 

M M. Dubois d' Amiens, from the beginning to the end of 
this second part, seeks incessantly to ridicule a young 
doctor of the Faculty, whose experiments did not succeed 
as he expected, and who appears to have been deceived 
by two women pretending to be somnambulists. But 
there is nothing extraordinary in his disappointment or in 
such deception. It is known that there is nothing more 
variable or more inconstant than the magnetic phenomena ; 
and it is that very mobility, and that very inconstancy, 
which prevent so many persons from studying Magnetism. 
Yet, we would ask, what are the facts of practical medi- 
cine, of therapeutics, and physiology, that are constant 
and immutable ? Those which the Reporter has been so 
prolix in relating are every-day occurrences. In 1831 we 
witnessed three instances of similar nature, and although, 
in the three cases, the results were opposed to what the 
magnetizers expected, and called us to witness, we were 
very careful not to lessen in any degree the consideration 
to which a gentleman, convinced by previous experiments, 
is entitled, even when those experiments fail in an attempt 
to reproduce them. He may have been deceived himself, 
but it does not hence follow that he intended to deceive 
others. 

" Dr. Berna, whom I do not know, whom I have never 
seen, with whom I am not acquainted directly or indirect- 
ly, but whose talents and learning are not questioned, was 
wrong in making promises so positive as those contained 
in his letter. He evidenced in this that he did not yet 
know how uncertain and variable are the phenomena 
which he studies, and how strong is the propensity of 
some somnambulists to impose on the credulity of the pub- 
lic. But is this error, which after all proves nothing but a 
conviction founded on other experiments, serious enough 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



193 



to subject him to public derision ? Be indulgent, gentle- 
men, towards young men, who follow with ardor the path 
of science. They meet in their way with injustice, op- 
position, and disappointments, numerous and bitter enough, 
without your increasing the burdens that already oppress 
them — without your aid in the effort to bring them into 
contempt, for the reason only that they entertain an opinion 
different from your own. 

" I will add, moreover, since the Reporter has been so 
particularly anxious to impress on our minds the conclu- 
sions formed by the commissioners of 1784, that he him- 
self would have done well had he been impressed with 
the style of their writing. He would have there found a 
model of decency that, without wounding any one, points 
out the result of the facts; he would have found a severe 
decorum, which is the first condition in the investigation 
of truth, and for which 1 look in vain through all his work. 
Do you believe that the commissioners of 1784 could find 
no laughable matter in the tubs, the wands, the conductors, 
the ropes, the chains, the magnetized trees, the convul- 
sions — in a word, in the whole apparatus adopted by Mes- 
mer ? They were extremely circumspect, because they 
knew that their character and position required them to be 
dignified even in the midst of ludicrous circumstances. 

" And now what were the results of the experiments of 
Dr. Berna 1 Nothing more than a failure of what he ex- 
pected. Is that a sufficient cause for the bursts of laughter 
that the report elicited in this assembly ? No. It is not 
the failure that caused them ; it is the coloring given to 
the proceedings ; it is the causticity spread over the par- 
ticulars ; in a word, the laughable matter was the grotesque 
performance of the picture, and not the subject of it. 

" Setting aside the manner — amusing perhaps, but in my 
opinion highly improper — in which you detailed the ex- 
periments, my former associates and myself have too much 
17 



194 PSYCODUNAMY, 

faith not to admit as true the results you reported; 1st, 
Because they are attested by men whose acuteness of ob- 
servation is known to us ; 2d. Because we find in their 
precautions the exact repetition of those resorted to by our- 
selves for each of the thirty-three experiments which com- 
pose our report ; 3d, and last, because in the number of 
the thirty-three persons upon whom we experimented, we 
did find three subjects, whose magnetizers expected and 
had promised as much as Dr. Berna, and whom, by using 
the same caution that you did, we detected in fault, and 
upon whom we passed the same judgment that your com- 
mittee did on their two cases. 

" But, gentlemen, since those experiments were identi- 
cal — that is to say, negative, and exactly similar to those 
we had already reported, the question naturally arises, if 
it were necessary, if it were in any way important for the 
Academy to revive, on that occasion, discussions that can- 
not but be violent ; for they wound, on both sides, convic- 
tions that are sincere. We will insist upon it, of what use 
to the Academy can experiments be that bring forth noth- 
ing new — that are a mere repetition of ours — and which, 
in the end, prove nothing at all ? Will they adopt the re- 
port 1 Will they approve of the conclusions ? Before 
they decide on the subject, it is necessary that the Acade- 
my should be fully aware that they do not possess the 
moral power of judging the question of Magnetism, any 
more than they had or could have the power of judging of 
the treatment of the typhus fever, of the numeric method, 
of lithotrity, &c. They cannot assign the limits of the 
unknown — they cannot confine within bounds the spirit of 
researches that proceed, and always will proceed, in defi- 
ance of all the academies of the world ! Let all of them 
unite to declare any one fact a chimera ; if experiments, 
repeated in silence and in every quarter, by unprejudiced, 
enlightened, and independent men* reproduce it, they will 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



195 



irresistibly overthrow such declaration ; nay, a single fact 
will invalidate it. The time is past when opinion was 
blindly submissive to the judgments of scientific bodies, or 
even to judicial determinations. Science does not any 
longer bow her head before the transient and ephemeral 
authority of men. Do not then, gentlemen, venture in a 
path so hazardous — do not disgrace your dignity. Let the 
magnetizers alone. If they are supported only by fraud 
and ignorance, they will themselves work their own ruin ; 
if they have on their side experience and truth, they can 
laugh at your decision. They will triumph in spite of 
your powerless resistance, and nullify to-morrow the judg- 
ment you may pass upon them to-day. 

" If I examine the third part of the report, namely, the 
conclusions, I find them quite deficient in sound logic, 
for they draw general inferences from two particular pre- 
mises, and that is a radical and irremissible fault. I will 
not, however, stop to debate them, but will reserve to my- 
self the liberty of hereafter presenting such conclusions 
as I shall consider proper to the report which I oppose. 

" I will not leave the floor without asking the members 
of the committee to allow me to make, with regard to them- 
selves, some reflections on a fact that came to my know- 
ledge upon the day of our last meeting, and which forces 
me out of the position I had at first taken towards them. 
I allude to the appeal they thought proper to make to all 
magnetizers to come forward and show them conclusive 
facts. 'None of them,' says the Reporter, 'dared to come!' 
He concludes, from their silence, that they have given up 
their cause in despair, and appears confident that thero 
exist no longer either Magnetism or magnetizers. 

" In the first place, the committee had not the right to 
make such an appeal. Their sole mandate was to wit- 
ness the experiments of Dr. Berna, and on them only you 
were to report. You were not allowed to call for other 



196 PSYCODUNAMY. 

experiments, and could not,, without having received a 
new attribute from the Academy, enlarge the circle of 
your powers. I am not aware that the magnetizers re- 
fused, on that account, to appear before you, since I am 
not acquainted with any ; but this much is certain, that 
if I myself had been a magnetizer, knowing as I do 
your dispositions and proceedings, I would by no means 
have consented to answer your appeal. Where is the 
man — I refer the case to yourselves — where is even the 
most innocent of men, who, of his own accord, would ap- 
pear before a tribunal, when he is confident that the judges 
are not only partial, but decidedly hostile, and that the at- 
torney-general is a publicly sworn enemy to him 1 

" Secondly, those who have experience in Magnetism 
are fully aware that the irregularities and inconstancy of 
the phenomena are such as to prevent them from consid- 
ering the repetition of a fact fifteen days in succession, as 
a sure guarantee that the same fact will occur on the six- 
teenth trial ; they know how a somnambulist, very lucid 
at present, will, perhaps, within a few hours lose his fac- 
ulties. Therefore I think they acted very wisely in con- 
sidering your challenge as nugatory ; for they knew that 
while they might fail in proving what they would have 
tried to prove, you, although physicians — nay, Academi- 
cians — are not free from the passions and weakness of 
frail human nature, and would not, for their sake, discard 
your animosity. Thus, there is no reason to be so sur- 
prised at their silence, and far less to exult in it as a de- 
cisive victory ; but to do so, as the reporter did, is to add 
another to the catalogue of wrong conclusions. 

" I sum up, gentlemen, by giving you an abridged sy- 
nopsis of the reflections I have submitted to you. 

" I criticised the general title of the report, which ought 
to be, ' A Report on experiments on two Somnambulists ;' 
and not, ' A Report on Magnetism.' 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 197 

" I pointed out the evidently partial omission of the op- 
eration made by M. J. Cloquet, in the recapitulation of the 
motives which induced the Academy to appoint a new- 
committee. 

" I said that the experiments of the commissioners of 
1784, were essentially defective on account of the man- 
ner in which they were made. I added, that the Report- 
er, who professed to make a faithful history of Magnetism, 
ought not to have omitted so important a circumstance, 
since the carelessness of their experimenting led them 
necessarily to wrong conclusions. 

" I demonstrated that the Academy of Sciences, the 
Faculty and the Royal Society of Medicine, never made 
any examination whatever of Magnetism ; that they re- 
fused to do so; and that the king, Louis XVI., himself 
appointed all the commissioners, who were not mem- 
bers of a special committee deputed by the different socie- 
ties to which they belonged ; that the report was made to 
the king, and read only officiously to the different societies, 
who expressed their thanks to the commissioners for that 
favor, as you could yourselves, if you thought it proper, 
thank M. Dubois d'Amiens for his kindness in reading to 
you a laughable work for which you gave him no mandate. 

" I loudly blamed the silence of the Reporter respecting 
the labors of the two committees deputed by the Royal 
Academy of Medicine — the only scientific body of France 
who had ever scientifically considered Magnetism, through 
the agency of members appointed by them for that purpose. 

" Lastly, I pointed out, without any difficulty, the par- 
tiality with which the Reporter pretended to judge the 
general question of Magnetism, while relating negative ex- 
periments only, omitting the positive and conclusive facts 
observed and related by your first committee with as much 
care as was taken by your second committee in their 
examination. 

17* 



* 



198 PSYCODUNAMY. 

" I said thus much on the pretendedly historical part. 
I found, in passing to the second part, which, by its na- 
ture, was to be a simple description of facts, that its main 
object was to ridicule, as much as possible, an estimable, 
intelligent, and learned physician, whose experiments did 
not have the results he expected. 

" I said, and say it over again, that the experiments ap- 
pear to have been conducted with the same precautions 
observed by us, and deserve accordingly the same credit. 
But I remarked that they were not new, that we had re- 
lated three similar instances, and I concluded that it was 
useless to revive, on their account, discussions which will 
only trouble the Academy without any benefit. 

" I said that your two negative experiments cannot de- 
stroy the thirty positive ones related by the first committee, 
since one single positive fact is enough to destroy any 
number of negative ones. 

" I said that you had not the power to constitute your- 
selves judges of Magnetism, since your own judgments 
are under the jurisdiction of the progress in science, and 
that many of the truths of one year have been falsified by 
the discoveries of the next. 

" Lastly, I reminded you, when I arrived at the third 
part — the conclusions — that general inferences cannot be 
drawn from a few particular premises, and that the only 
possible conclusion of your negative experiments, which 
present nothing new, is, that they prove nothing. 

" So the whole report amounts to this : gross historical 
omissions — numerous and culpable concealments — experi- 
ments already known, and which prove nothing — errone- 
ous conclusions — a style, the levity of which is highly 
indecorous, even in the opinion of the friends of the Re- 
porter. 

" Such being the case, gentlemen, you cannot adopt 
this .work, because you cannot approve of historical un- 






ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



199 



faithfulness. You cannot approve of ridiculing a doctor of 
our faculty, known as an honorable and talented man, 
solely on the ground that his experiments have proved 
nothing, except that a magnetizer either failed or was de- 
ceived, which in itself is nothing new. You cannot ap- 
prove of a laughable and sarcastic style in a performance 
which heretofore has been, and always ought to be, the 
most severe — I mean experimental proceedings in the in- 
vestigation of scientific truth. You cannot approve of the 
report, because you are anxious to avoid useless discus- 
sions, and prevent interminable replies and endless re- 
criminations, that would unavoidably lessen your consid- 
eration and dignity. 

" The only conclusion to be drawn from the report, is, 
that in the experiments made by Dr. Berna, the commit- 
tee did not see the phenomena which he expected them 
to witness. 

" This is the only one that I propose to the Academy 
to adopt, and pass on the balance of the report to the order 
of the day. 

(Signed) 

" Husson." 

The success of this speech was complete. The report 
of M. Dubois d'Amiens was overruled and annihilated ; 
and his confusion during the eloquent, dignified, and se- 
vere lecture of his adversary, may be more easily imagin- 
ed than described. He did not venture even a word in 
reply, and our cause, instead of losing, gained ground 
among scientific men. 



4 



200 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ACADEMICAL REPORT ON THE COMMUNICATION OF DR. PIG E- 
AIRE (OF MONTPELLIER) ON PSYCODUNAMIC FACTS, AND 
ITS CONSEQUENCES. 

It would be an error to believe that it was only in Pa- 
lis that physicians began, after this, to acknowledge and 
study the power which creates such wonderful phenom- 
ena. The Medical Faculty of Montpellier, subsequently to 
this period, in 1837 and 1838, was called to pay attention 
to and witness the experiments of Dr. Pigeaire, one of the 
most talented and respectable physicians of that city. 
His own daughter was the subject. A voluminous com- 
munication, relating those experiments, was sent to the 
Royal Academy of Paris, and referred for examination to 
Messrs. Gueneau de Mussy and Bousquet. The following 
brief extract from their report is sufficient to show what 
were the experiments, how the medical faculty of Mont- 
pellier judged them, and what were the conclusions of the 
committee. 

" The facts related in the communication of Dr. Pi- 
geaire are of a nature so extraordinary, that your commit- 
tee thought proper to request the secretary of the Acade- 
my to write a letter on the subject to Professor Lordat. 
Before giving our conclusions, we ask the permission of 
reading to the Academy the answer of our celebrated cor- 
respondent : 

" ' On Sunday, the 1st of October, 1837, at three o'clock 
in the afternoon, I went to the house of Dr. Pigeaire to 
witness the magnetic experiments of the sitting appointed 
for Professor d' Amador and myself. 

" ' I saw there two young ladies* the younger of whom 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 201 

is the subject of the following observations. She might be 
from ten to eleven years of age. She has a delicate con- 
stitution, and is but just recovering from a slight illness 
that had caused the suspension of any magnetic experi- 
ments upon her during a fortnight. 

" ' They submitted to our examination a four folded black 
silk apparatus, intended to cover the eyes so as to prevent 
any ray of light from penetrating the orbit. We tried it, 
each of us, upon ourselves, and we were perfectly con- 
vinced that it completely answered the purpose. This 
apparatus rilled up the furrows between the nose and the 
cheeks : it was there considerably thicker, and coated 
with sticking plaster in order to intercept every ray. 

" ' As soon as she was requested, the little lady placed 
herself in an arm-chair, and Dr. Pigeaire commenced the 
magnetic operation. Not more than two minutes elapsed 
before she said she was asleep. Her mamma asked her 
if she wished to be magnetized longer. She replied af- 
firmatively, and after a few more passes she said, ' c'est 
assezj (that is enough.) An instant afterwards Madame 
applied the apparatus with the greatest possible exactitude. 

"'After thirty-five minutes of rest, she took our book. 
She could not read the first line \ Biographief printed in 
ornamental letters, and lost in the numerous flourishes and 
shades of the clare-obscure of the back-ground ; yet she 
read { des Medecins FrancaisJ but hesitatingly, as if spell- 
ing to herself. Each incorrect trial displeased her. She 
returned to her examinations, and appeared much delight- 
ed when she was right and her reading was approved. I 
remarked that the finger always rubbed only the beginning 
of each word, and that the rest was completed without 
touching the remaining letters. She continued, reading 
* vivanf and the remainder rather fluently. But, on ar- 
riving at the words l Officiers de sante? written in italics, 
she stopped and said, ' voila une ecriture couchee,' (here is 



202 PSYCODUNAMY. 

some oblique writing.) She applied herself to the study 
of those letters, rubbing them with her finger, and pro- 
nounced the words correctly. 

" ' After this trial we gave to the little girl a printed leaf 
which had formed a part of a scientific journal devoted to 
physical geography ; the print was a little superior to that 
which is called Cicero. A transparent pane of glass was 
placed above it, and the little somnambulist appeared to be 
more at her ease. She read through the glass several 
lines without any difficulty. She had some trouble in 
spelling the words geologie and fossiles. As all this an- 
noyed her, we were compelled to tell her that she should 
not go beyond a line that we pointed out. She was much 
pleased when she had performed her task. She said that 
she perspired ; and as she perceived that her mamma was 
a little dissatisfied with her, she covered her with kisses. 
The apparatus was removed. She requested to sleep a 
little longer : the eyes were half open. There was some 
trouble in awaking her, and she appeared much fatigued 
and surprised. Somnambulism gave to this little girl a 
countenance and manner very different from that which 
we noticed when she was awake. 

" ' After the trial of the second reading, she exclaimed 
exultingly, ' Novo, will they still say that there is any hum- 
bug and collusion about it /' 

" £ On the third of October I paid a visit of thanks. I 
asked the mother if her little girl needed light. She re- 
plied in the affirmative. She can read in a degree of 
light which would not be sufficient for everybody, but still 
this degree at least is indispensable to her. 

" ' On the 9th of October, at three o'clock in the after- 
noon, I witnessed again a similar experiment. Several 
doctors were present, and among others, Messrs. Vailher, 
Lafosse, Fourche, Bertrand, Quissac, also Colonel du Bar- 
ret, &c. Every thing went on as before, except the fol- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 203 

lowing circumstances : 1st. The little girl used several 
times the index finger of the right hand. 2d. She read 
immediately after she was in the somnambulic state. The 
greater number of the persons present were strangers to 
the facts as well as to the proceedings of Magnetism. 
Some of them were not convinced. Their objection was 
that the bandage, which was constructed for a child ten 
years of age, did not adapt itself exactly to their noses and 
eyes. For myself, I saw only that which I had seen pre- 
viously. 

" ' On Sunday, the 17th of December, I wished to see 
again the experiments, in order to justify the confidence 
of the secretary of the Royal Academy of Paris, (Dr. 
Pariset.) Some ladies, friends of Madame Pigeaire, and 
a young officer were present, as well as Dr. Jean-Jean, 
who had corneas a skeptic. I found him near the little 
somnambulist, who was already in her magnetic sleep. 
He had brought his book, and was in the greatest astonish- 
ment because the little girl had read in it fluently. The 
young officer was writing. The bandage for the eyes had 
been tightened ; the lower edge was furnished with a 
border covered with sticking-plaster, which was applied 
to the nose and the prominences and inequalities of the 
cheeks ; so that when the bandage was removed, an un- 
broken line of plaster remained on the above-mentioned 
parts. The little somnambulist could not read the writing 
of the officer, because, as she said, the ink was too pale ; 
but she read with ease the same sentence written with a 
pencil of a much darker color. She stopped only on ac- 
count of some letters with whose form she was not fa- 
miliar. 

" ' A. little while afterwards she wished to be awakened, 
and her mamma yielded to her request. 

" ' I asked if the young child could read through an 
opaque body, which should be placed between the hands 



I 



204 PSYCODUNAMY. 

and the eyes. Madame Pigeaire replied in the negative. 
I asked again if she could read with her hands behind her 
back : here also the reply was in the negative. 
(Signed,) 

" ' L.ORDAT. 

" ' Montpellier, 23d of December, 1837.' 

" Besides the fact of reading without using the eyes, 
the communication of Dr. Pigeaire mentions the seeing 
at a distance, and the correct description of that which 
was transpiring at remote places. In a case considered 
doubtful by two physicians, his little somnambulist pro- 
nounced that a certain Madame Bonnard was not preg- 
nant ; she named the persons who were ringing the door- 
bell, she described minutely the articles that were enclosed 
in a box, &c, &c. 

" The witnesses are numerous, and they are persons 
of the highest standing and character. Indeed we may 
say that never, perhaps, has Magnetism enlisted in its favor 
a more powerful array of respectable names. Not Messrs. 
Lordat and D'Amador only, but the other professors of 
the medical faculty of Montpellier, Messrs. Lallemand, 
Delmas, Kuhnholtz, Eustache, &c, offer their guarantee as 
to the exactitude of the assertions of Dr. Pigeaire. Is not 
the testimony of such men of sufficient importance, in 
your opinion, to give credit to a fact, however improbable 
it may appear 1 

" Those who at once deny the possibility of the facts of 
Magnetism, and refuse it an investigation, seem to us to 
reason most illogically : they admit precisely that which is 
questioned ; for to dare to say, ' This is possible and that 
is not,' implies necessarily the pretension of having been 
initiated in all the mysteries of creation. 

" Therefore, in all cases, before we pronounce, we must 
examine, And even that is insufficient : we must, in our 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 



205 



examination, preserve our minds free from prejudices. 
The learned Euler admitted three orders of truths — name- 
ly, truths of the senses, truths of the understanding, and 
truths of testimony. To see, without using the eyes, is 
not a truth of the understanding, for it cannot be demon- 
strated by reasoning : it is a truth of the senses to those 
who can witness it ; and, like all historical facts, it is a 
truth of testimony to those who have not witnessed it. 
According to that rule, we were to number and weigh the 
testimonies in favor of Dr. Pigeaire. You know them: 
could we hesitate ? 

"M. Pigeaire invites two of our colleagues to go to 
Montpellier : if his somnambulist does not read with her 
eyes perfectly closed, and covered with the thickest kind 
of black silk doubled, he pledges himself to pay their ex- 
penses. Or he is willing to come to Paris, and should his 
experiments prove successful, he will receive a compen- 
sation adequate to his trouble. 

" We conclude that the Academy ought to accept the 
proposition of Dr. Pigeaire. 
(Signed,) 



GUENEAU DE MlJSSY, 
BOUSQUET, 



" Paris, March, 1838. 



Before I proceed any farther, my readers, perhaps, 
would like to know the results of this last report. I feel 
it to be due to them, and here it is : 

Dr. Burdin, one of the members of the Royal Academy, 
deposited in the hands of a notary public the sum of 3,000 
francs, to be given as a premium in case of the success 
of the experiments ; and Dr. Pigeaire complied with the 
invitation of coming to Paris to submit his young daughter 
to the proposed trial. In order to ascertain if the lucidity 

18 



206 PSYCODUNAMY. 

of his somnambulist had been impaired by her long and 
tedious travelling, he made some preparatory experiments 
in presence of many scientific men and distinguished per- 
sons, the greater number of whom, and among them 
Messrs. Orfila, Bousquet, Ribes, Reveille-Parise, &c, gave 
their written testimony, purporting that Miss Pigeaire read 
admirably well in any proffered book, without touching it, 
while she was in the somnambulic state, and had her eyes 
covered with a thick and doubled velvet bandage, of which 
the inferior border was exactly fixed on the nose and 
cheeks with sticking-plaster. 

In the mean time a committee was appointed. After 
much delay and tergiversation they met at last at Dr. 
Pigeaire's, who, before introducing to them his daughter, 
submitted to their examination her ocular apparatus. Here 
the wise men, worthy friends of M. Dubois d' Amiens, 
found an objection, capital in their eyes. It is this : silk, 
velvet, or any tissue whatever, though it be thick, and as 
often doubled as you please, contains, nevertheless, holes 
which can be detected by using the microscope. Ac- 
cordingly, a peculiar conformation of the eye, strengthened 
by habit, could account for the fact of reading through 
them, without any ' somnambulism.' Therefore, unless 
M. Pigeaire would consent to have the head of his young 
daughter locked up in a kind of box prepared for the pur- 
pose, the experiment could not be satisfactory. 

Need I say that Dr. Pigeaire, disgusted at the bad 
faith of the would-be judges, withdrew his daughter from 
the trial without even allowing them to see her ? But, at 
the same time, his friends and himself publicly offered a 
prize of thirty thousand francs to any one, who, not being 
himself in the somnambulic state, could read through Miss 
Pigeaire's bandage. Need I say again, that every person 
who tried the bandage declared that it put them in perfect 
darkness, notwithstanding the holes so scientifically dis- 



ACADEMICAL HISTORY. 207 

covered by the members of the committee of the Royal 
Academy ? 

Incredible, however, as it may seem, although no at- 
tempt at experimenting before the committee was ever 
made, and though, as I have stated, no member of said 
committee had ever seen Miss Pigeaire, still our adver- 
saries found the means of having it inserted in the public 
periodicals that the experiments failed in their presence. 

. . . . " Tantcene animis coslestihus ires ! .'" 

The different documents which I have presented in 
this part of my book are sufficient to establish the degree 
of estimation gained among scientific men by the cause I 
advocate. Assuredly, there still exist among them, and 
likely forever will exist, unbelievers in it, although their 
number is daily diminishing. But why should we won- 
der ? Do we not also see among them men who do not 
believe in the being of God ? 



HISTORY 



PS YCODUNAMY 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



" Whence but from heaven, could men unskill'd in arts, 
In various ages born, in various parts, 
Weave such agreeing tales 1 Or how, or why 
Should all conspire to cheat us with a lie 1 
Unask'd their pains, ungrateful their advice ; 
Starving their gain, and martyrdom their price." 



Dryden. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



CHAPTER I. 



HISTORY OF PSYCODUNAMY IN THE AGES OF ANTIQUITY. 

Whatever be the name given to Psycodunamy, what- 
ever be the occult cause of its phenomena, the study of 
History shows that the proceedings which constitute its 
practical part, namely, slight frictions, gestures, glances, 
the laying on of hands, blowing, massage, and prayer in 
connection with them, have been, at all times and in all 
countries, resorted to, and have produced the same results 
that the modern dunamisers describe ; that is to say, the 
cure of diseases, and somnambulism, with all its essential 
characters of insulation, insensibility, increase of the in- 
tellectual power, intuition, instinctive knowledge of reme- 
dies, sight at a distance and without the use of the eyes, 
communication of thoughts, and prevision. 

An immense number of Psycodunamic facts are to be 
found in the works of Josephus, Homer, Plato, Pytha- 
goras, Plutarch, Pliny, Lucianus, Cato, Tacitus, Apulei- 
us, Heliodorus, Serenus Sammoniacus, Coelius Aurelia- 
nus, Aul. Gellius, Jul. Firmicus, CElianus, Vindicianus, 
Alex. Trallianus, Ant. Beniveni, Bartholinus, the learned 
Mead, Alberti, Paracelsus, Wirdig, Kircher, Santanelli, 
Van Helmont, and particularly Maxwell. These wonder- 
ful facts did not fail to attract the attention and cause 
amazement in those celebrated writers, of whom the great- 



212 PSYCODUNAMY. 

er number, unable to explain them by natural laws, refer- 
red them to the beneficence of the gods — Isis, Osiris, 
Serapis, Apollo, iEsculapius, etc. The Fathers of the 
Church, and even some modern scientific men, among 
whom I will name the physician Derfaen, led astray by 
vulgar prejudices and the spirit of their age, attributed 
such results to the interference of the devil. This igno- 
rance of the true cause of the Psycodunamic phenomena 
blinded some minds, even those of a superior order ; it 
kindled the pyres of the middle ages, and became the 
source of many and most deplorable cruelties. Let us 
unfold the records of antiquity, and by carefully separating 
the principal fact from mere accessory circumstances, with 
which the scientific notions and religious creeds of the 
times necessarily surrounded it, we shall ascertain that the 
Psycodunamic practice and its results were known among 
the Indians and Persians, the Egyptians, the Jews, the 
Greeks, the Romans, the Gauls, and, at a later period, 
throughout all the nations of Europe. 



§ 1. Psycodunamy among the Indians and Persians. 

Long before the era of Jesus Christ, the wise men, or 
" Magi" of India, were in great renown for their medical 
skill. It was among them that the physicians of Persia 
used to learn medicine before the schools of Greece or 
Egypt had any celebrity. Their practice consisted chief- 
ly in gestures and secret manipulations, which have been 
described by Philostratus. In the Life of Apollonius, as 
related by this writer, (b. iii. c. 2,) several instances of re- 
markable cures are to be found, viz : 

" A young man, who had become lame in consequence 
of a wound inflicted on his knee by a lion, went to the 
wise men of India, seeking relief for his sufferings. They 



GENERAL HISTORY. 213 

rubbed him gently with their hands, and with such success 
as to enable him to return home, after a few days, without 
any remaining pain or lameness. By using the same 
means towards a man who had lost the sight of one eye, 
they restored the power of vision. Another, whose arms 
were paralyzed, found likewise a perfect cure at their 
hands." 

Philostratus also says, that the art of divination pos- 
sessed by the " Magi," confers upon man the most impor- 
tant benefits, the greatest of which, however, is the finding 
out of remedies. 

In India the statues and images of the gods are repre- 
sented in Psycodunamic situations. They knew that the 
power is great and penetrating in the first three fingers 
united and extended, the remaining two being bent in the 
inside of the hand. They also knew that when the hand 
is entirely opened and the fingers slightly bent the force is 
moderate. Now the gods Vichenow, Chiven, Parachiven, 
Ravanna, and Parachati, are represented with four, and 
sometimes even a greater number of arms ; and they all 
present the hands, either opened, with the palm down- 
wards and the fingers slightly bent, or with three fingers 
only extended, the other two being bent, with an intention 
that cannot be mistaken. 



$ 2d. Psycodunamy among the Egyptians. 

Priests were the only physicians in Egypt. They 
practised the art of curing diseases in the temples as a 
divine art. They made a mystery of their means, for it 
was the source of their authority under the name of their 
gods. Very few persons, and those only after a long proba- 
tion, were initiated into them ; and it was forbidden, under 
the severest penalties, to divulge the secrets. 



214 



PSYCODTJNAMY. 



In the beginning of the Christian era, Celsus opposed to 
the cures performed by Jesus those effected in the public 
squares, for a few oboles, by the Egyptian charlatans 5 
who, with their mysterious ways of touching and blowing, 
there healed the sick. (See Origenus cont. Celsus, b. 

i.; p. 54.) 

Arnobius confirms the same fact, and relates the re- 
proaches cast upon Jesus by the Heathen : " Magus fuit ; 
clandestinis artibus omnia ilia perfecit, Egyptiorum ex adytis 
angelorum potentium nomina et remotas furatus est discipli- 
nas." " He was a magician ; he made all those things 
by clandestine means ; he stole from the sanctuary of 
the Egyptian priests the names of the powerful angels, 
and their occult disciplines." (See Arnobius, b. i., adv. 
gentes.) 

Prosper Alpinus, in his " Treatise on the Medicine of the 
Egyptians" says, that some mysterious frictions and a 
certain manner of blowing on the affected parts, were the 
secret means employed by the priests in hopeless cases. 
They resorted to all that can promote firm confidence — 
long fastings, bathing, purification, sacrifices, sitting up at 
night, and fervent prayers — to obtain the divine inspira- 
tions. After these preliminaries, the patients, lying on 
the skins of goats, near the sanctuary, awaited for sleep 
and prophetic visions. It is easy to conceive that in those 
days, as now, somnambulism was not a general result. 
Then some special priests, named Oneiropoles, delivered 
themselves up to dreams, and gave the revelations. 

It was customary to engrave in the temple the names of 
the persons cured, the disease, and the remedy. These 
inscriptions, for a long while, were the sole record of prac- 
tical medicine. The Asclepiades, and Hippocrates him- 
self, compiled a great number of them, from the temples 
of Memphis and Heliopolis. Some escaped the injuries 
of time, five of which have been translated and comment- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 215 

ed oil by Sprengel in his " Pragmatic History of Medi- 
cine." I will quote two of them, in order to give to my 
readers an idea of what they were : 

" The god, in a nocturnal apparition, ordered the son 
of Lucius, who was attacked with a hopeless pleurisy, to 
take from the altar some cinders, and, mixing them with 
wine, apply them to the affected side. He was saved ; he 
thanked the god, and the people wished him happiness." 

" A blind soldier, named Valerius, after consulting the 
god, received for answer, ' Go in the temple, mix the 
blood of a white fowl with honey, and wash your eyes 
with it during three days.' He recovered his sight, and 
thanked the god before the people." 

Although the impulsive principle which procured the 
beneficial dreams was not revealed, as were the remedies 
— although it was concealed with the greatest care from 
the vulgar — there is no doubt that Psycodunamy was 
the basis of all these mysteries. Montfatjcon, in his 
" Antiquite expliquce," has collected several pictures and 
Egyptian monuments, which prove our assertion. Among 
the latter are hands of bronze, covered with mysterious 
figures, and having three fingers extended, the others bent. 
One of them has, besides other hieroglyphics, a kind of 
ring towards the wrist, On which is seen a woman with a 
child, in a recumbent posture ; they are all right hands, 
and were found in the temples of Isis, Serapis, and iEscu- 
lapius, where the cures of which I have spoken were daily 
performed. 

The pictures to which I have alluded are four in num- 
ber, and were taken from the wrappers enveloping a mum- 
my. The figures on the.se are no less significant. The first 
represents a bed, the extremities of which are in the form 
of a lion ; on this bed is a man lying down, wrapped in a 
kind of blue drapery, which covers his shoulders and 
breast ; another brown garment extends to the fe§t ; the 



216 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



face is bare and the eyes are closed. At his side is an- 
other man, dressed in the same manner, with the addition 
of a cowl and a mask ; his face is turned towards the sick ; 
he has his left hand on the breast of the patient and the 
right on his head, in the attitude of a person who duna- 
mises. At the end of the bed are two women, with bare 
arms and feet. Their heads are covered with the Egyp- 
tian Camail. One has her right hand raised, the other the 
left. The other three pictures are exactly similar, with 
only a difference in the situation of the hands of the per- 
son acting and that of the patient. In the second, one of 
the hands of the operator is on the head, the other on the 
feet ; in the third, the hands are on both sides ; in the 
fourth, on the thighs. The patient, stretched at full length 
in the first, seems to move in the second, to sit up in the 
third, and to rise in the fourth. The operator, who is an 
Egyptian priest, wearing the mask of Anubis, keeps his 
face constantly turned towards the patient, and his looks 
fixed upon him. This is not equivocal ; it would be diffi- 
cult to represent more exactly the Psycodunamic process, 
offering in each of the pictures a different manner of duna- 
mising, in accordance with the different stages of the cure. 

Diodorus of Sicily (b. i.) says, " The priests of Egypt 
pretend that Isis is pleased with the adoration of men, and 
that from the glory of her immortality she vouchsafes to 
appear to them in their dreams, and manifests her benevo- 
lence by pointing out remedies to sufferers ; and that, to 
the admiration of everybody, the faithful observation of 
her advice saved a great number of patients whose diseases 
were considered hopeless by the best physicians." 

Macrobius relates that the Emperor Trajan, wishing to 
try the oracle of Heliopolis, sent there a blank letter which 
was sealed ; and that the priest, without opening it, sent 
back, for answer, to the emperor, a piece of blank paper. 
(See Saturnal., b. i. c. 33.) 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



217 



$ 3. P sycodunamy among the Hebrews. 

We see in the book of Exodus (vii. and viii.) that 
Aa*on having performed many wonderful prodigies in 
presence of Pharaoh, the magicians of Egypt, called by 
the king, did the same with their enchantments. But, 
unable to imitate the last, they exclaimed, " This is the 
finger of God !" 

" The Lord said to Aaron and Miriam, If there be a 
prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known 
unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a 
dream." (Numbers, chap. xii. 6.) 

" If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of 
dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign 
or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, 
saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not 
known, and let us serve them ; thou shalt not hearken un- 
to the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, 
.... and that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall 
be put tQ death." (Deuteronomy, chap, xiii.) 

There was among the Hebrews a great number of pro- 
phets of Baal ; Elijah slew four hundred and fifty of them, 
and four hundred of the prophets of the groves. (1 Kings, 
chap, xviii.) 

" Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of 
God, thus he spake, Come, let us go to the seer ; for he 
that is now called a prophet, was beforetime called a seer" 
(1 Samuel, chap. ix. 9.) 

Saul having searched in vain for the asses of his father, 
bis servant said to him, " Behold now, there is in this city 
i man of God, and he is an honorable man. All that he 
saith cometh surely to pass ; now let us go thither, per- 
adventure he can show us our way that we should ^o. 
Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what 
19 



218 PSYCODUNAMY. 

shall we bring the man ? for the bread is spent in our ves- 
sels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of 
God : what have we 1 And the servant answered Saul 
again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth 
part of a shekel of silver ; that will I give to the man of 
God to tell us our way." They accordingly went to Sam- 
uel, who said to Saul, " I will tell thee all that is in thine 
heart ; and as for thine asses, that were lost three days ago, 
set not thy mind on them, for they are found." (1 Sarri.ix.) 

The people of king Balak, when they consulted the 
prophet Balaam, used to bring him also the price of divi- 
nation. 

Saul, being afraid of the Philistines, inquired of the 
Lord ; but the Lord answered him neither by dreams, nor 
by Urim, nor by prophets. He then consulted a woman 
at Endor, who had a familiar spirit. (1 Samuel, chap, 
xxviii.) During her vision she knew the king, although 
he had disguised himself, and she had never seen him be- 
fore. 

Ahab, a king of Israel, gathered the prophets together, 
about four hundred men, and said unto them, " Shall I go 
against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" (1 
Kings, xxii.) The prophet Micaiah foretold to him that 
he would be slain at Ramoth-gilead, and the event verified 
the prophet's prediction. [Ibid.) 

Under king Zedekiah, the Israelites abandoned them- 
selves to all the abominations of the Gentiles ; and often 
did the Lord speak to them by his prophets, through vis- 
ions and dreams, to bring them to repentance. (2 Chron. 
xxxvi.) 

" God speaketh in a dream, in a vision of the night, 
when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon 
the bed ; then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth 
their instruction." (Job, xxxiii.) 

We certainly find in these different passages, which I 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



219 



could multiply ad infinitum, several of the characters of 
modern somnambulism. I will now quote some instances 
of the cure of diseases, in which the Psycodunamic action 
is evident, although, in most cases, it is united with a 
force both supernatural and divine. 

The son of the widow of Zarephath fell sick, and his 
sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 
Elijah took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into 
a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed, 
and he stretched himself upon the child three times, and 
cried to the Lord and said : " O Lord, my God ! let this 
child's soul come into him again : and the soul of the child 
came into him again, and he revived." (1 Kings, xvii.) 

When Elisha was come to the house of the Shunam- 
mite, her child was dead, and laid upon his bed. " He 
went in, therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and 
prayed unto the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon 
the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes 
upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands : and he 
stretched himself upon the child ; and the flesh of the 
child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the 
house to and fro ; and went up, and stretched himself upon 
him : and the child sneezed seven times, and the child 
opened his eyes." (2 Kings, iv.) 

Naaman, a captain of the host of the king of Syria, was 
a leper. " And the Syrians had gone out by companies, 
and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a 
little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife : and she 
said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the 
prophet that is in Samaria ! for he would recover him of 
his leprosy." So Naaman came and stood at the door of 
Elisha, who sent a messenger to him, saying ; " Go and 
wash in Jordan seven times, and thou shalt be clean. But 
Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said : Behold, I 
thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and 



220 PSYCODUNAMY. 

call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand 
over the place, and recover the leper," &c. (2 Kings, 
chap, v.) 

The laying on of hands was a practice much in use 
among the Jews. It is by this visible sign that the Scrip- 
tures represent the moment of inspiration: " Et facta est 
super eum manus Domini" — and the hand of the Lord has 
touched him. This was then, and is yet, a usual form 
of expression. " And Joshua the son of Nun was full of 
the spirit of wisdom ; for Moses had laid his hands upon 
him," (Deut. xxxiv.) 

Jesus used to cast out evil spirits and to cure diseases 
by the laying on of his hands. " They bring unto him one 
that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech ; and 
they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took 
him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his 
ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue ; and looking up 
to heaven, he sighed and said, Be opened ; and straight- 
way his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue 
was loosed, and he spake plain." (Mark, vii.) 

When Jesus came to Bethsaida, they brought a blind 
man to him, and besought him to touch him. " And he 
took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the 
town ; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his 
hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught. And he 
looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After 
that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him 
look up ; and he was restored, and saw every man clear- 
ly." (Mark, viii.) 

Jesus possessed so eminently the curative virtue, that 
in order to be cured it was sufficient to touch him, or even 
any thing that belonged to him : " Et quicumque tangebant 
eum, salvi jiebanty — " Simon's wife's mother was taken 
with a great fever, and they besought him for her. And 
he stood over her, and rebuked the fever ; and it left her. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 221 

Now, when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick 
with divers diseases brought them unto him, and he laid 
his hands on every one of them, and healed them." (Luke 
iv.) " A woman having an issue of blood twelve years, 
which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither 
could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the 
border of his garment : and immediately her issue of blood 
stanched : and Jesus said, Who touched me 1 When all 
denied, Peter and they that were with him said ; Master, 
the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, 
Who touched me ? And Jesus said, Somebody hath 
touched me, for I perceive that virtue* is gone out of me." 
(Luke, viii. ; Matt., ix.) 

After the patients were cured, Jesus usually charged 
them that they should tell no man. (Matt., vii. ; Luke, 
viii.) This recommendation, which he made so often, 
proves that it was by miracles of a superior order that he 
wished to establish his divinity. He cured, because he 
pitied the patients. It even happened that while he was 
at Nazareth, he could perform no miracle, except that he 
cured a few sufferers by the imposition of his hands. He 
wondered at their incredulity, and said ; " A prophet is 
not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own 
house." Accordingly, faith was one of the conditions for 
success ; and this affords ground for the belief that Jesus 
resorted to Psycodunamy in order to cure, as he resorted 
to speech in order to teach, although in both instances he 
manifested a power far superior to that of man. 

* The original Greek, translated here by " Virtue" is Swa/xiv, the 
very word that I have adopted, as radical, to mean the power of curing 
diseases. The feeling of Jesus, in perceiving that virtue was gone out 
of him, will be perfectly understood by all dunamisers. Whenever 
they operate successfully they experience a very peculiar and distinct 
sensation of emanation, so much the more strongly felt as the patient 
is more effectually benefited. 

19* 



if 



222 PSYCODUNAMY. 

The cures performed afterwards by the Apostles, are also 
of a supernatural order ; yet it is to be remarked that the 
laying on of hands was always resorted to by them, if not 
as the cause, at least as the means of success. 



§ 4. Psycodunamy among the Greeks. 

All the practices used in the temple of Epidaurus, Del- 
phi, and Ephesus, were borrowed from India and Egypt. 
The cure of diseases was performed in those temples with 
the same mysterious ceremonies. Among the Greeks, 
however, the evidences of a knowledge of the Psycoduna- 
mic science and its wonderful results are much more nu- 
merous and satisfactory. 

Strabo speaks of a cave dedicated to Pluto and Juno, 
situated between Nepe and Fralees, where the priests used 
to sleep, and answer, in that state, the questions of the 
patients who came to consult them. Whenever the pa- 
tients preferred it, they were themselves introduced into 
the cave, where they waited until the gods sent them bene- 
ficial dreams, which the priests would interpret, if neces- 
sary. 

A very curious work, containing details of the treat- 
ment in the temple of Esculapius, has escaped destruction. 
It is composed of several discourses by the orator Aristi- 
des : 1st. In honor of Esculapius ; 2d. Of Asclepiades ; 
and six under the name of " Sacred discourses.'" The 
cures effected in the temple are related day by day, and 
their description is exactly similar to the Psycodunamic 
cures performed in modern times. We see in them the 
same periodical sleep ; the same dreams, in which the pa- 
tient prescribes regularly what he must take or avoid ; the 
same inward view of his disorder ; and lastly, the same 
foresight of the crises or accidents he must experience. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 223 

Origen affirms that the cures effected during the sleep 
of the patients in the temple of Esculapius'were in full 
force in his days ; and that the temple was incessantly 
filled with Greeks and Barbarians, who came there to be 
relieved from their infirmities. 

Whenever the magistrates of Lacedemon were embar- 
rassed in the administration of public affairs, they went 
to the temple of Pasiphae, and followed with confidence 
the advice they received there during their sleep. (Cicero 
de Divin., lib. i. c. 43.) 

Diodorus, of Sicily, relates how the oracle of Delphi 
was discovered. Some goats, coming near a natural aper- 
ture that extended deeply into the ground, began to dance 
and jump in a most extraordinary manner. A shepherd, 
amazed at the spectacle, and approaching to look into the 
aperture, was suddenly gifted with divine inspiration, or 
an ability to foretell future events. It happened after- 
wards that some men died on the spot, in consequence of 
their imprudence in making too frequent trials of the ef- 
fects of the prophetic vapor. A college of priests at length 
took possession of the place, had a temple built on the 
ground, and intrusted a female with the care of the oracle. 

" We derive immense advantages from the favor the 
gods have conceded to the sibyls. The one at Delphi, 
and the priestess of Dodona, confer on mankind the great- 
est benefits, both public and private. It would be impossi- 
ble to enumerate all the instances in which the sibyl 
proved the importance of her power of foretelling events ; 
and the facts themselves are so well and so generally 
known, that it would be useless to bring forth new evi- 
dences." (Plutarch in Pheedro.) 

" The Pythia," says the same author, " is second to no 
one in purity of morals and chastity of conduct. Brought 
up by her poor parents in the country, she brings with her 
neither art, nor experience, nor any talent whatever, when 



224 PSYCODUNAMY. 

she arrives at Delphi to be the interpreter of the gods. 
She is consulted on any event — marriage, travels, harvest, 
diseases, &c. Her answers, although they -have been 
submitted to the severest scrutiny, have never proved false 
or incorrect. On the contrary, the verification of them 
has filled the temple with gifts from all parts of Greece 
and foreign countries." {Ibid.) 

When the priests wished to consult the oracle, they 
caused the Pythia to sit on the tripod of Apollo. So soon 
as the vapor struck her, she experienced violent convul- 
sions, her face changed color, her hair would stand erect, 
her breast heaved, her mouth foamed, her voice was alter- 
ed, she struggled as if to disengage herself from a superior 
power, which pressed, fatigued, and subdued her. 

According to the same writer, she predicted the famous 
eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which swallowed up the 
cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and caused the death 
of the celebrated Pliny. The simplicity of the Pythia, 
her state of celibacy, so apt to produce hysterics, her ha- 
bitual paleness, the extraordinary development of her in- 
tellectual faculties during the time of inspiration, her ex- 
haustion, and particularly her perfect unconsciousness of 
all that had transpired, after the crisis was over, do not 
allow us to doubt that her state was exactly similar to that 
which characterizes modern somnambulism ; and where 
we find the same effects, is it not natural that we should 
suppose the same cause 1 

Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Plutarch, Diogenes Laer- 
tius, Cicero, and several other philosophers, not only speak 
with admiration of the wisdom and pure morality of Soc- 
rates, and of his wonderful influence over the mind and 
heart of his pupils ; but they are pleased in mentioning 
the correctness of his previsions, which were revealed to 
him during a peculiar state or crisis of natural somnam- 
bulism. Socrates used to say, that there was in man 



GENERAL HISTORY. 225 

something divine, which, as regarded himself, he called 
his Demon or Genius, who never induced him to do any- 
thing, but, on the contrary, prevented him, and whom he 
never failed to obey. 

We read in Cicero, (de Divin., lib. i. § 54, No. 12,) 
that Socrates meeting, one day, his friend Crito, whose 
eye was bandaged, inquired of him what was the matter. 
Crito answered that when in the country a twig struck 
him in the eye. Socrates then reminded him how he op- 
posed his going to the country-*- " You would not believe 
me." " It is a remarkable thing," continues Cicero, " that 
after the battle lost by the Athenians at Delium, Socrates, 
who was flying with the rest, having arrived at a cross- 
way, would not take the same way as the others. When 
they asked him the cause, 'It is,' said he, Sthat my de- 
mon deters me from it.' And it happened that those who 
did not go with him fell into the power of the cavalry of 
the enemy." 

Plato relates that Socrates, in his apology to the Athe- 
nians, expressed himself in the following terms ; " That 
which prevented me, Athenians, from coming into your 
assemblies, is my familiar Demon, that divine voice of 
which I have so often spoken, and which also has been 
so often ridiculed by Miletus. This Genius has attached 
himself to me from my infancy, and whenever one of my 
friends is going to engage in some unfortunate enterprise, 
this voice obliges me to dissuade him. Timarchus, be- 
fore leaving Athens, asked me, ' What is your opinion, 
Socrates V I then heard the voice, and told him, ' Do not 
go.' Timarchus could not resist, and went. This is the 
reason why he said to his brother, ' I am about to die, be- 
cause I would not listen to Socrates.' " Reading a little 
further, we find these words, " You may yet be informed 
by many of our fellow-citizens, that I foretold, before the 
expedition to Sicily, the complete destruction of our army." 



226 PSYCODUNAMY. 

We see also in Plato, that Alcibiades advanced in the 
study of wisdom by merely' being in the same house with 
Socrates, but that he advanced still farther if he were in 
the same room. Alcibiades perceived that he profited 
most by the words of Socrates, when the eyes of the phi- 
losopher rested on him ; and lastly, the progress was most 
evident whenever Alcibiades was near and could take 
hold of his teacher. 

Socrates had predicted all the important events of his 
life. When he was summoned before the tribunal of the 
five hundred, he knew that he would be condemned to 
death, although the penalty of the offence with which he 
had been accused was but a trifling fine. They expected 
at Athens the shipthat was gone to Crete in commemora- 
tion of the victory of Theseus over the Minotaurus ; and so 
long as the voyage lasted, it was forbidden to put any one 
to death. His disconsolate disciples anticipated the ar- 
rival of the ship on the day ensuing ; but Socrates told 
them that she had been detained at sea, and would be 
back only on the third day. The event proved the cor- 
rectness of his prevision. 

Apollonius Tyaneus had been initiated into the sacred 
mysteries by the priests of the temple of Epidaurus, dedi- 
cated to Esculapius ; from thence he went to Ephesus, 
Smyrna, Athens, Corinth, Nineveh, and even to Persia and 
India, where he learned from the Magi their marvellous 
secrets in the curing of diseases. He performed such prod- 
igies, and made cures so surprising, that he was consider- 
ed by some as a magician, and by others as a god. 

Philostratus narrates among many other instances of 
the curative power of Apollonius, that he restored to life 
a young girl who was believed to be dead, and whom they 
were already carrying to the grave. He stopped the funeral 
procession, laid his hands on the supposed corpse, and 
approached his mouth to hers as if to whisper something ; 



GENERAL HISTORY. 227 

the young girl opens her eyes, comes to herself, rises, 
speaks, and returns home perfectly restored. 

Apollonius predicted future events as correctly as Soc- 
rates, and he was conscious of what was transpiring in re- 
mote places. While he was at Ephesus, and surrounded 
by a crowd of people, he saw and actually described the 
murder of the emperor Domitian at Rome. His prediction 
was established several days after, when intelligence of 
the event was received ; the whole had taken place upon 
the day, and at the very hour and moment indicated by 
Apollonius. 

Ptolemeus, one of the principal captains of Alexander 
the Great, had been dangerously wounded by a poisoned 
arrow, which caused excruciating pains. Alexander, 
while sitting at the head of his bed, fell asleep. The 
dragon which his mother Olympias nourished appeared to 
him in a dream ; he had a root in his mouth, and indicated 
to him the place where it was to be found, assuring him 
that Ptolemeus would be immediately cured by it. Alex- 
ander awoke, narrated his dream, and sent for the root at 
the place designated by the dragon. It was found, and 
not only Ptolemeus was cured, but many other soldiers, 
who had been wounded by the same kind of arrows. (Cic. 
de Divin., lib. ii. No. 133.) 

The daughter of Hermotimus, the celebrated Aspasia, 
whose superior mind as well as remarkable beauty caused 
her to ascend the throne of Persia, had, during her infan- 
cy, a very ugly tumor extending from the cheek to the in- 
ferior part of the chin. Her father consulted a physician, 
who asked so considerable a sum to cure her, that he 
could not afford to pay it. Aspasia went away suffused 
with tears. But a sweet slumber soon came oyer her ; she 
saw in a dream a female, who told her to take one of the 
dry crowns of the roses which adorned the statue of Ve- 
nus, to pound it, and apply the powder on the swelling. 



/ 



228 PSYCODUNAMY. 

The young Aspasia did not fail to do as directed, and the 
tumor actually disappeared. (^Elian, Variae histor.) 

JambJctjs relates that the army of Alexander was rava- 
ged by an epidemical disorder, which was removed by the 
remedies revealed in dreams by the god Bacchus. 

The art of curing diseases by the laying on of hands 
and by gestures was known in Greece, as were also the 
results of somnambulism. 

Pythagoras, who used to dress in the garb of an 
Egyptian priest, had among them learned their secret 
arts ; he knew how to charm any pain by his conjurations 
and enchantments, which consisted in the laying on of 
hands, first on the head, then passing them slowly all over 
the body, and finally keeping them at a short distance from 
the suffering part, reciting all the while magic verses. 
(Cic. de Natur. D. 1, c. 5 ; Tusc. 4, c. 1.) 

Asclepias recommended frictions in order to induce 
sleep in cases of phrensy ; he advises not. to press with the 
hands while operating, but to touch slightly, and to resume 
the same operation several days successively. He re- 
marks that those frictions, if too long continued at one 
time, are liable to cause a kind of lethargie insensibility. 
(See Celsus, b. iii.) 

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, divides the prac- 
tice into two distinct parts — the common remedies, and 
the secret means. He recommends not to divulge the lat- 
ter, or to reveal them only to persons of high moral princi- 
ples, who are particularly deserving the favor of the gods 
and the regards of men. We find in his works the two 
following aphorisms : 

IsL "When the eyes are closed, the soul (4^%'*]) per- 
ceives very well the affections of the body." (De Regim. 
lib. iii.) 

2d. " The intelligence of dreams is a great step towards 
wisdom." (De Somn., lib. ii., in fine.) 



GENERAL HISTORY. 229 

Plutarch relates that Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, had the 
gift of curing persons whose spleen was disordered, by- 
touching gently, slowly, and for a long while, the affected 
side. 

We read in Herodotus, (b. iv. c. 173,) and in Pausanias, 
(b. ix. c. 28) that the Psylles, a people of Lybia, near the 
Syrthes, were renowned for their ability in curing the bite 
of venomous serpents. They used to rub gently the part 
with their saliva, and when the pain was violent, they gave 
for drink some water which they had previously kept in 
their own mouth ; finally, if the sufferings grew to be in- 
tolerable, they lay upon the patient, and succeeded, in this 
manner, in allaying his pain. JElian says that the 
presence of a Psylle caused, in their patients, a kind of 
stupor, as if they had taken a soporific beverage, and that 
the loss of consciousness continued so long as the Psylle 
chose to remain near them. (Histor. anim. b. xvi. c. 28.) 

The works of Alexander Trallianus have been just- 
ly compared, in importance and style, to those of Hippo- 
crates himself. Of all the Greek authors, his writings af- 
ford the best evidence of their knowledge of Psycoduna- 
my. When speaking of phrensy, he recommends to pass 
the hands gently over the inferior limbs ; he says that by 
this process the morbific matter is attracted downwards, 
which results in calming the convulsions. After enumer- 
ating the general remedies proper in cases of epilepsy, he 
adds, that " the occult means, the natural remedies" ought to 
be tried also ; and he teaches, on this subject, that during 
the crisis, longitudinal "passes" over the limbs, and a slight 
touching of the eyes with the ends of the fingers, must be 
employed. He points out this way of operating to those 
only who have a great desire of success, with confidence 
in the use of the secret proceedings ; " with a strong and 
persevering intention they will accomplish their purpose." 
He believes it to be his duty to give those precepts to hon- 

20 



230 PSYCODUNAMY. 

est and candid men, who feel anxious to attack and over- 
come long and stubborn cases by all possible means. He 
concludes with these remarkable words : " As for myself, 
I acknowledge that I have resorted to both practices : but, 
in our days, as the ignorant accuse persons who use the 
secret means, I always endeavor to use common remedies, 
although I consider them as less efficacious. But I must 
recommend not to reveal the occult means except to per- 
sons of high virtue, and who know how to keep a secret. 
This is the meaning of the precept of Hippocrates — ' Pre- 
serve holy means to be used by holy men ; for it is a crime 
to reveal them to the vulgar.' " 



§ 5. Psycodunamy among the Romans. 

At Rome, Psycodunamy was in no less honor than 
among the Greeks : we here again find the wonders of 
somnambulism and the cure of diseases, by revelations 
during sleep, by the application of the hands, by gestures 
and conjurations. 

The sibyl of Cumas, described in so picturesque a man- 
ner by Virgil, (iEneid, lib. vi. v. 45,) is the first somnam- 
bulist whom history records. She appears to have been 
already in renown 700 years before iEneas came to Italy. 
She was consulted as the Pythia of Delphi, and in similar 
circumstances. Cicero remarks, that while the latter was 
inspired by subterraneous vapors, the former received her 
revelations from nature alone. (Cic. de Divin. lib. i.) 

Pliny speaks of three different sibyls ; ^Elian of 
four ; and Varro of ten, which is the number generally 
adopted by the learned. 

" I will allow no one," says the last writer, " to pretend, 
in my presence, that the sibyl of Cumas did not give to 
men very beneficial advice during her life, and that she 



GENERAL HISTORY. 231 

did not leave, when she died, most wonderful predictions, 
which are even now eagerly consulted in difficult circum- 
stances." (Varro, de Re rustica.) 

For three years Rome had been desolated by the plague. 
The sibylline books were consulted, and they prescribed 
that Esculapius should be brought from Epidaurus. Jle 
was accordingly conveyed to Rome, under the form of a 
serpent. They built for him, on the island of Tiber, a 
splendid temple, where patients called to obtain, during 
their sleep, the knowledge of the remedies that would cure 
them. (Val. Max. lib. i.) 

Many instances of the miraculous cures performed in 
this temple are to be found in the works of Cicero, Titus 
Livius, Tibullu.s, and Strabo. The author whom I 
have already quoted narrates that he himself went to con- 
sult Esculapius, who appeared to him during his sleep, and 
prescribed onions and sesame, which actually did restore 
his health. (De Re rustica.) 

Cicero mentions the circumstance of the necessity of 
some one being present during the revelation, to preserve 
it ; " for," says he, " those sleepers do not retain any re- 
collection of it." (Cic. lib. iii. de Divin.) 

The emperor Marcus Aurelius, in the third chapter of 
his " Immortal Thoughts" enumerating the favors that the 
gods conferred upon him, expresses particularly his thanks 
for their having revealed to him, during his sleep, the reme- 
dies which cured his spitting of blood and dizziness. 

" Esculapius heals our bodies," says the emperor Ju- 
lian. " I call Jupiter to witness that I have myself 
very often been cured by his pointing out remedies to me 
during my sleep in his temple." 

We read in Herodian, that the emperor Caracalla 
went to Pergamus to consult Esculapius in the celebrated 
temple of this god in that city. He slept there several 
nights in succession, till he received in dreams the re vela- 



232 PSYCODUNAMY. 

tions which made him acquainted with the nature of his 
disease and the proper remedies. 

Plautus, in his play of " Amphytrio," represents 
Mercury standing at the door of Alcmena, when Sosias 
comes to gain admittance. The god, in order to get rid 
of him, speaks at first of knocking him down. Sosias ex- 
claims, " My master keeps me awake, but this will put me 
to sleep forever. I am a dead man !" Mercury replies, 
" Yesterday I put four individuals to sleep in that manner." 
" I am much afraid," answers Sosias, " that my name shall 
be Quintus." But the god, condescending to behave more 
humanely, says, "Quid, si ego ilium tractim tangam, ut dor- 
miat? — What, if I should touch him, with long passes, 
to put him to sleep ?" " Scrvavcris," answers Sosias, 
" nam continuas has tres nodes pervigilavi. — You would 
save my life, for during the last three nights I had no rest." 
" Tractim tangere," means, according to the explanations 
of the commentators, " to caress gently, with the hand open, 
from head to foot, as we caress a cat^ It is impossible to 
express more clearly the Psycodunamic proceedings, and 
their most frequent result. 

During the stay of the emperor Vespasian in Alexan- 
dria, one of the people, who was well known as blind, 
came to him, and earnestly begged the emperor to cure 
him. Another man, whose hand was paralyzed, also 
came to him, making the same request. They both said 
that the god Serapis had appeared to them in their sleep, 
directing them to call on Vespasian, in order to be deliv- 
ered from their infirmities. The emperor at first laughed 
at, and tried to dismiss them ; but they threw themselves 
at his feet, and insisted with the greatest perseverance. 
Finally, Vespasian, yielding to their supplications, asked 
his physicians if they thought that the recovery of such 
blindness and paralysis was beyond the reach of human 
power. The answer was, that they eventually might re- 



GENERAL HISTORY. %33 

cover, if a sufficient curative force were applied to them : 
" Si vis salutaris adhibeatur" The emperor then resolved 
to try if the gods had really designated him to accomplish 
such a prodigy. Therefore, in presence of a large con- 
course of people, he passed his hands over the eyes of 
the blind, wetting them with his saliva, and touched the 
hand of the paralytic. To the general wonder, they both 
recovered ; and Tacitus, who relates this fact, adds that 
he himself knew several witnesses of it, whose veracity 
could not be doubted, and who could have no interest what- 
ever in telling a lie. Suetonius confirms all the partic- 
ulars of this narrative. 

Pliny says : " There exist some men whose bodies are 
eminently curative. There may be some doubt about the 
virtue of enchantments and magic verses, but I positively 
believe that the will of the operator, and his intention of 
relieving the patient, impart to the emanation which comes 
from him, a beneficial and remarkable power." (Natur. 
Histor. lib. vi. c. 34.) 

The same author says, also, that the soul of the cele- 
brated Hermotimus of Clazomenae, during the time of in- 
spiration, separated itself from his body, and wandered in 
every part of the earth, relating events which were at 
the time transpiring in distant sections of the world, 
and which were known only by the persons pres- 
ent. During this emigration of the soul, the body was in- 
sensible. His wife, who was acquainted with this cir- 
cumstance, took advantage of it and burnt his body as if 
totally dead, and deprived the soul of its natural recepta- 
cle. Hermotimus received divine honors in a temple at 
Clazomenae, into which it was unlawful for women to en- 
ter. (Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. vii. c. 52.) 

The day of the battle of Pharsalia, Cornelius, a priest 
celebrated for his piety, described, in the city of Padua, 
all the particulars of the fight as if he were himself pres- 
20 



23^ PSYCODUNAMY. 

ent, exclaiming at last, " Ceesar is the conqueror!" (Aul. 
Gell., lib. xv. c. 18.) 

Nicephorus, an historian of the West Roman empire, 
relates that when the unfortunate Valens took refuge in a 
barn which was burnt by the Goths, a hermit named Paul 
had a fit of ecstasy, and in the midst of the prisoners who 
were with him at Constantinople he exclaimed, " It is now 
that Valens burns." 

At the beginning of the works of Galen, in an edition 
published at Basle, in folio, in 1538, a very curious en- 
graving is to be seen. A man is kneeling down with 
his arms folded on his breast, and before him stands an- 
other man with both arms stretched over the head of 
the former, each hand presenting the first three fingers 
extended, and the others bent. Galen had visited the 
most learned seminaries of Greece and Egypt, before 
coming to Rome, where he rendered himself famous by 
his profession. Many, astonished at his cures, attributed 
them to magic, and pretended that he had received all 
his knowledge from enchantments. He himself confes- 
ses that he had made a special study of the secret means 
of Hippocrates, and derived great advantages from them 
in his practice. 

Ccelius-Aurelianus prescribes frictions in pleurisy, 
lethargy, paralysis, dropsy, headaches, rheumatism, etc. 
The character of those frictions cannot be mistaken : " It 
is necessary," says he, " to put at first the hands on the 
head, and then to come down slowly, and gently, along the 
limbs from the superior parts to the inferior in succession. 
Against epilepsy, local friction is preferable ; sometimes it 
is the front and the head, sometimes the neck and the 
throat, over which the fingers must pass with the slightest 
possible touch, while the hands are warm. At other times 
it is eligible to act upon the hands and feet of the patient; 
and in cases of pain in the stomach, the taking of the ar 






GENERAL HISTORY. 235 



ticulations between the hands, keeping these very warm, 
will prove highly beneficial. Many cures are performed 
in the same manner by the sole action of holding," etc. 
(De tardis pass. lib. i. c. i. and iv.) 

The celebrated Tertullian, in his treatise " De An- 
ima" gives the following definition of the state of ecstasy : 
" It is not sleeping, for during sleep the whole system is 
at rest ; during ecstasy, on the contrary, while the body 
rests the soul is all action. It is a peculiar mixture of 
sleep and ecstasy, which characterizes the prophetic state ; 
during that state not only every thing which concerns our 
honor and riches is revealed to us, but also all that belongs 
to remedies and the cure of diseases." The same writer 
speaks of two celebrated females, Priscilla and Maximilla, 
who were favored with the gift of revelations. " They re- 
ceive it in the church, in the midst of our mysteries ; 
being ravished into ecstasy, they see, they hear celestial 
secrets, know that which is most hidden in the hearts of 
many persons, and furnish salutary remedies to those de- 
sirous of obtaining them." Tertullian was originally a 
Pagan ; but, on account of facts and evidences derived 
from witnessing the truth and correctness of the previsions 
of Priscilla and Maximilla, he embraced Christianity, of 
which he became, by his writings, an able and powerful 
advocate. 

St. Jerome says that prophecy was a gift of God, made 
to some females and to the sibyls in particular, on account 
of their chastity. St. Hilary, on the contrary, considers 
such a gift as coming from the evil one. 

St. Justin affirms that the sibyls foretold with truth and 
exactness many important events, and that as soon as the 
moment of inspiration was past, they lost all recollection 
of their prophecies. He quotes the opinion of Plato, 
which coincides with his own. 

St. Athanagoras is of the same mind : "As to the 



236 PSYCODUNAMY. 

faculty of foretelling events, and curing diseases, it is en- 
tirely independent of the evil one. It is proper to the soul. 
The soul, on account of its immortality, can of itself, and 
its own virtue, penetrate the night, of futurity, and heal in- 
firmities and maladies. Why then should the devil reap 
the glory of it ?" 



§ 6. P ' sycodunamy among the Gauls. 

If we pass from Italy into Gaul we find that the Gauls 
had also their sibyls. The functions of the sacerdoce, 
such as divination and prophecy, were exercised by female 
Druids, or at least by their race. Their gift of prevision 
was the same as that of the Pythia of Delphi, or the sibyls 
of Cumse. Among the Germans they were known by the 
name of " Alironies" and latterly " Fairies" 

The Druids attached great importance to their sibyls, 
and took particular care of their education. The young 
girls designated to hold this holy office, were collected in 
the island of Sain, not far from Brest ; their natural dis- 
position of falling into fits or ecstasy, which was the cause 
of their having been selected, was cultivated there by all 
the means that experience proved most successful to im- 
prove it. So soon as their ability had been sufficiently 
tested, they received with great ceremonies the name and 
enjoyed the prerogatives of a sibyl. They were nine in 
number, and were intrusted with the care of the temple. 
(Caesar. Bello. Gallic, vi. c. 13; Pliny, xvi. c. 44; 
Diod. lib. v.) 

" Endowed with extraordinary talents, they knew how to 
cure the most hopeless diseases ; they had foresight of 
futurity, and predicted events with remarkable correct- 
ness." (Pomp. Mela, iii. c. 6.) 

Tacitus, Lampridius, and Vopiscus take pleasure in 



GENERAL HISTORY. 237 

praising the accuracy and precision of Druidic predic- 
tions. 

" I have known among the Druids," says Quintus to 
Cicero, " your former guest and particular friend, Diviti- 
acus, the iEduus, who is celebrated for his knowledge of 
the occult means of the Greek philosophy. He told me 
that, thanks to his secret science and his natural foresight, 
he could with certainty predict future events." 

Pliny, in speaking of the Druids, designates them by 
the following appellation : " Hoc genus vatum, medicorum- 
que — That kind of prophets and physicians." 

Tacitus mentions a certain Velleda, who had predicted 
a great victory to the Germans, and the destruction of the 
Roman legions : " Prosper as res Germanis, et excidium le- 
gionum prcediocerat" (Hist., lib. iv. No. 6.) 

Another Druid, being consulted by Alexander Sev- 
erus, exclaimed, " Do not expect victory, and do not rely 
on thy soldiers." In fact, this emperor was killed in a 
riot by a band of Germans who composed a part of his 
army. 

Aurelian asked the Druids, if the power would re- 
main in the hands of his family ; they answered, " No 
name, in the Roman republic, will be more glorious than 
that of the sons of Claudius." 

The Druid of Tongres, who predicted the empire to 
Diocletian, is the last sibyl of whom history has preserved 
the memory. Vopiscus relates that she said to Diocle- 
tian, " You will be emperor when you have killed the 
boar — Imperator eris, cum aprum occiderisP It must be 
observed, that the word aper, which in Latin means a boar, 
is also a man's name. Diocletian laughed ; but, though 
he hunted and killed boars, seeing, nevertheless, that Au- 
relianus, Probus, and others ascended the throne, he said, 
" I kill boars, but others eat them." Finally, it happen- 
ed that Arius Aper stabbed the emperor Numerian. Dio- 



238 PSYCODUNAMY. 

cletian plunged his sword into the bosom of Aper, ex- 
claiming, " This time I think I have killed the true Boar /" 
and he actually succeeded him as emperor. (Hist. August., 
scrip, iv. c. 39.) 



GENERAL HISTORY. 230 



CHAPTER II. 

PSYCODUNAMY THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES, TILL THE DAYS 
OF MESMER. 

Christianity having dethroned the gods of paganism, 
the old oracles became mute : beneficial dreams were no 
longer to be had in the temple of Escnlapius, who had 
ceased to perform cures. Psycodunamy took refuge in the 
monasteries, to be practised by holy personages, and near 
the tombs and relics of the saints. Thus we see the art of 
healing chiefly in the hands of the clergy. It is from among 
them that the kings of France, Dagobert, Louis VI, Phil- 
ippe II, St. Louis, <fec, chose their physicians. To the 
ancient temples in which the proceedings of Psycodunamy 
were so efficacious, succeeded the churches. In these 
we find again the same habit of remaining during the 
night in prayer, with a view to obtain relief from infirmi- 
ties — the same dreams, the same revelations, the same 
cures. Jambicus, Eunapius, Godfrey, and .many other 
writers, relate that those innocent practices and pretended 
enchantments, " with the firm intention of doing good" sub- 
sisted yet for a long while among the Christians. From 
the list of the miracles which, according to old legends, 
have been performed by many saints, we must erase a 
large number of surprising cures in which faith and re- 
ligion intervene only as eminently favorable accessories to 
the natural Psycodunamic action. I could support this 
opinion with the authority of St. Augustin, and that of 
Melchior Cano, one of the most enlightened fathers of 
the Council of Trent. 

St. Gregory, bishop of Tours, in speaking of St. 
Cosme and St. Damien, says, " They were physicians 



240 PSYCODUNAMY. 

during their lives, and after their death they continued to 
be of great assistance to those who invoked them, Any 
patient, who, full of faith, comes near their tombs and 
prays, is sure to find a speedy cure for his disorder. 
Many persons affirm that they appear there in the night, 
during the dreams of the patients, and reveal to them the 
proper remedies." (Greg, de Glor. Mart., c. xcviii.) 

Sulpicius, in the Life of St. Martin, says, that a woman 
who had a loss of blood was cured by the mere touching 
of the garment of the saint. 

The priest Protegene used to heal his patients by the 
laying on of hands and by prayers. The monk Benjamin 
relieved all sorts of pains by gently touching the suffering 
parts. The bishop Parthenius, Moses of Lysbia, Juli- 
anus of Edessa, and many other holy clergymen, had 
the gift of curing diseases in the same manner. (Thiers, 
b. vi.) 

We read in the Collection of the Bollandists : " A 
paralytic went to the tomb of St. Litard, bishop of Sen- 
lis, to implore his assistance. There sleep soon over- 
came him, and in a dream he saw the saint, who com- 
plained to him of the ungratefulness of men, who forget the 
favors of God immediately on obtaining them. He told 
him that only one of his legs should be cured, that he 
might remember the goodness of God: that the other 
should remain paralyzed, on account of the common un- 
gratefulness of men. The patient then awoke, half cured, 
with ability to stand on one foot, but unable to move the 
other." 

" A poor woman from the country of Urbain, was in a 
deplorable state of paralysis, which affected half of her 
body ; her fingers adhered to the arms, and the contrac- 
tion of one of the inferior limbs caused a corresponding 
elevation of the foot. She had a nocturnal vision, and 
went, as directed by it, to the tomb of St. Fortunatus. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 241 

** There, while praying, a kind of stupor suddenly crept 
over her, and under its influence she was stretched at full 
length, in a state of insensibility, on the pavement. Although 
her eyes were open, she could see nothing. While in this 
condition, her distorted bones were heard to crack in a 
very strange manner. Her emaciated nerves resume 
their vigor, and the poor woman, coming to herself, gets 
up trembling ; moving her feet, she is filled with wonder 
at her ability of walking without a cane. Some remains 
of her lameness are, however, still perceptible ; for, as 
our author says, God dispenses favors in the way and to 
the extent he pleases." (Bolland.) 

George Fabricius, in his Commentary on Poets, says 
that he saw, in Padua, country-people who were going to 
the church of St. Anthony for the purpose of obtaining 
salutary visions during their sleep. " This," says he, 
"resembles exactly the ancient pagan worship." The 
habit of sleeping in the churches, in order to receive bene- 
ficial revelations in dreams, subsisted still in Italy towards 
the end of the seventeenth century. (Daniel Vine, 
Amoenitates Philologico-Medicse, 1720, p. 73.) 

From the origin of the monarchy, the kings ©f France 
enjoyed the privilege of curing scrofula by touching the 
patients. 

Andrew Laurent relates in the following manner on 
what occasion this power was conceded to them : " Lani- 
cetus, one of the officers of Clovis, was afflicted with this 
dreadful disorder, and had resorted without effect to all the 
means of medicine, when the king had a dream, during 
which he thought he was touching the throat of Lanicetus, 
who appeared to recover, undisfigured by any trace of the 
dangerous sores with which he was afflicted. As soon as 
the day dawned, Clovis, full of hope, went to see the pa- 
tient, and experimented upon him as directed in his vision. 
To the great joy and astonishment of the bystanders, the 

21 



242 PSYCODUNAMY. 

sufferer was perfectly cured. This privilege, adds our 
author, ever after remained as an inheritance to the chil- 
dren and successors of Clovis to the throne of France." 

T. H. Guibert, abbot of Nogent, attests that Philippe 
the First, who ascended the throne in 1060, possessed the 
gift of curing scrofula by the touch ; but that he lost this 
privilege on account of some crime. 

Stephen of Conti describes, in his History of France, 
the ceremonies observed by Charles VI. when touching 
for scrofula, (1380.) After hearing mass they brought 
him a vessel full of water. He prayed by the altar, 
touched the diseased part with his right hand, and washed 
it with the water. 

Andrew Laurent, in his Treatise on Scrofula, relates 
the words that the king pronounced on such occasions : 
" The king toucheth thee, but God cureth thee" This wri- 
ter, first physician of Henry the Fourth, has an engraving 
at the end of his book, which represents the ceremony as 
practised in his days. The first physician introduces the 
patients to the king, who, with the particularly benevolent 
appearance that characterized him, touches them succes- 
sively, by the laying on of his hands. Henry IV. used 
to touch yearly over fifteen hundred of them. 

The other monarchs of Europe could not see, without 
envy, this privilege of the kings of France. It was not 
long before the kings of Spain, of England, the dukes of 
Hapsburg, and several other princes of Germany, imita- 
ted the practice with the same success. According to 
some English historians, this favor, with the privilege of 
transmitting it to his successors, was conceded to Edward 
the Confessor on account of his virtue and piety; and 
scrofula, they remark, from that circumstance, received the 
name of king's evil, as a disease the cure of which be- 
longed only to the king. This was the cause of the sin- 
gular spectacle presented by James the Pretender, when he 



GENERAL HISTORY. 243 

took refuge in France, engaging himself in touching for 
scrofula in the public hospitals. 

Elizabeth, queen of England, although declared by the 
pope to be a heretic, enjoyed eminently the gift of cu- 
ring scrofula. Guillaume Tockerus has written a spe- 
cial treatise on the cures she performed. 

Besides scrofula, some kings had the power of curing 
many other diseases by the laying on of hands. It is 
worthy of remark, that those who possessed it more emi- 
nently, were also celebrated for their virtue and talents. 
Among them we will mention Charles the First, generally 
known by the name of Charlemagne, (a. d. 800.) Patients 
came even from Syria and Egypt to be relieved by him. 
(Pralard. Hist, of France.) Robert, the son of Hugh 
Capet, who is justly renowned for his learning and piety, 
was at times followed by more than a thousand of the in- 
firm, who came to receive from him the beneficial emana- 
tion which followed the laying on of his hands. (Stephen 
of Conti, Hist, of France.) Louis IX., better known 
under the appellation of St. Louis, divided his time be- 
tween the dispensation of justice and the cure of sufferers. 
(Froissart, Hist, of France.) 

During the reign of ignorance which characterized the 
middle ages, superstition exercised the greatest influence, 
and belief in magic became a popular creed. It was to- 
wards the fourth century that they began to speak of the 
nocturnal meeting of witches and sorcerers, under the 
name of the assembly of Diana or Herodias, an absurd 
and pitiable folly, which was afterwards punished with 
death by burning. But sorcerers were no other than natu- 
ral somnambulists, whose crisis was the result either 
of disease or art. When their disordered minds, or the 
perversity of their inclinations, induced them to wish to 
be acquainted with Beelzebub, they rubbed themselves 
with a kind of narcotic ointment, which promptly caused 



244 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



the natural crisis of somnambulism. While in tnat state, 
they would stand to be pricked, wounded, and even burned, 
without giving any sign of consciousness. The judges, 
imbued with the prejudices of the time, concluded, from 
_their insensibility, that the evil one had substituted phan- 
toms for the true bodies while the latter were gone to 
their unholy meeting. On awaking, they found their 
poor bodies unmercifully mutilated, and accused the devil 
of inflicting their wounds and sufferings. During these 
disordered ecstasies, the sorcerers believed themselves to 
be under the charm of the diabolical power. They were, 
in fact, in communication by thoughts with other somnam- 
bulists, more or less distant, and in many instances they de- 
scribed events which were transpiring in remote places. 
Brought before the tribunals, they confessed, with sim- 
plicity and candor, their belief in the truth of their revela- 
tions, and on this declaration they were condemned to 
death. Thus, ignorance of the natural laws of Psycodu- 
namy was the cause, during many ages, of atrocious mur- 
ders, the imagination of which excites, even now, a thrill 
of horror in the humane bosom. 

At no time was the belief in the possession of persons 
by evil spirits so prevalent, as during the darkness of the 
middle ages ; and, whatever be the sense attached to such 
an expression, it is certain that, in general, the pretended 
possession was merely a disease of the body — seldom of 
the mind. In the latter case, this disorder is known among 
physicians by the name of Theomanteia ; and M. Virey, of 
the Royal Academy of Medicine, of Paris, although op- 
posed to Psycodunamy in general, confesses that its prac- 
tice alone can cure this mental malady, and that the exor- 
cisms resorted to by the ancient Jews and the first Chris- 
tians, by people in the middle ages, and even in more 
modern times, are nothing but Psycodunamic operations. 
(Diction, des Scien. Med., art. Magnetism, torn. xxix. p. 510.) 



GENERAL HISTORY. 245 

John Weir, who has written several histories of per- 
sons possessed, relates the following fact : u A young 
girl, in a fall, had a pocket-knife so deeply plunged into 
her side, that it disappeared and could not be found, even 
after the closest examination. Her parents doubted her 
declaration of the fact ; but the child grew worse, and 
during several days refused to eat and drink. DifFerent 
nervous symptoms manifested themselves, and in her pa- 
roxysms she uttered several predictions, which were veri- 
fied by the events. She foretold, three months in ad- 
vance, that on Lady-day the knife would become visible. 
"She was believed to be haunted, because by mildness or 
threats they could not succeed in calming her. But the 
prevision having been accomplished, she was cured." 

The same writer also says, that a very ignorant woman, 
who was subject to violent nervous fits, lost her conscious- 
ness during the crisis, and while in this state exhibited an 
extraordinary degree of learning, which was considered as 
an evidence of her being possessed. Being asked one 
day, during her insensibility, what was the best verse in 
Virgil, she immediately replied : 

" Discite justitiam moniti et non temnere divos." (iEneid, lib. vi.) 
(Learn how to be just, and not to brave the gods.) 

Every one will confess that the choice was admirable, 
and that in this instance, at least, the devil spoke as a good 
Christian. 

Do you wish to ascertain what was the nature of the 
possessions by the evil spirit ? Father Brognoli, in 
his " Alexicacon" (p. 241,) will give you specimens of it. 
A young man had been for fifteen days suffering from a 
violent headache ; he experienced some fever, great lassi- 
tude, and an inability to walk. He had been bleeding 
from his nose nearly every day since he was first attacked. 
21* 



246 PSYCODUNAMY. 

" I soon recognised the presence of an evil spirit. I re- 
peatedly laid my hands on his head, ordering each time 
the evil one to leave him ; and he actually did so, passing 
through the ear of the patient, who heard a kind of whist- 
ling at the moment the spirit left him : from that time the 
patient has enjoyed good health." 

" A young girl had been sick for three years ; she could 
hardly move her limbs. She complained of a sensation 
as if a ball were moving up and down from her stomach 
to her throat ; her skin was yellowish. I imposed my 
hand, and ordered the evil spirit to retire : the girl was 
cured without the use of other means." 

The same Father, as an evidence of the arts of the 
evil one, quotes the instance of a patient, who during her 
crisis would speak and prescribe remedies for herself. He 
calls on the patient, who declares to him that before any 
exorcism, she will resort to some remedies which she 
mentions. The Father asks the opinion of a physician, 
who approves of the drugs, and the patient is cured. Our 
author concludes, from this fact, that the patient herself 
did not speak when in her crisis, but that it was evidently 
the devil. (Ibid. p. 119.) 

The visions, predictions, and deplorable death of the 
Maid of Orleans, have rendered her an eminent character. 
Delaverdy has given an extract of her trial, in which he 
declares that he preserved the very words of Joan. I 
will quote only the beginning, and give a summary of the 
rest : — 

" At the age of thirteen I heard a voice in my father's 
garden, and saw a great light. I was afraid at first ; but I 
soon knew it was the voice of St. Michael, who has since 
accompanied and protected me. From that time I did every 
thing according to the revelations I received and the ap- 
paritions I have seen ; even as in this trial I speak but 
that which is revealed to me." 



GENERAL HISTORY. 247 

Guided by these voices, Joan told the king of France, 
Charles VII., that she would cause the siege of Orleans to 
be raised ; and it was raised. She foretold that the Eng- 
lish would be driven from France in seven years ; and so 
they were, in fact. She announced that Charles would be 
crowned in Rheims, and he was crowned in Rheims. 

At the siege of Orleans she asserted that it would be 
taken, and that she would enter the city during the night 
by the bridge ; she added, " Blood will run from my 
breast." 

The next day they attacked the fort, and Joan was 
wounded by an arrow. The French General, Dunois, see- 
ing his troops fatigued and dispirited, resolved to sound a 
retreat. Joan's wounds being bandaged, she besought him 
to wait. She went into a vineyard, where she prayed for 
a quarter of an hour. On her return she seized her flag 
and waved it, calling on the French soldiers. They re- 
sumed the battle — the English lost courage — the city was 
no longer defended — and Joan entered Orleans at night, by 
the bridge, as she had predicted. 

I will not dwell any longer on the deeds of Joan ; they 
are all of the same nature, and would add nothing to our 
information respecting her somnambulic faculties. She 
was a simple and ignorant girl, brought up in the country, 
without even knowing how to read. Her temper was live- 
ly and impatient. All the actions of her life prove that she 
was virtuous and full of benevolence. But the English 
saw in her, or at at least pretended to see, an agent of Sa- 
tan ; and the French heroine, who had predicted her own 
fall and dreadful end, after having accomplished her mis- 
sion, was condemned to death as a sorceress, by a tribunal 
over which the Duke of Bedford presided, and where the 
Archbishop of Canterbury was a judge ; she was burnt 
alive on the great square of Rouen, in 1430, the victim of 
ignorance, fanaticism, and revenge. 



248 



PSYCODUNAMY 



The deplorable belief in the Satanic possession of those 
who exhibited the phenomena of somnambulism, and the 
idea that those who knew how to cause that crisis were 
the agents of the Spirit of Darkness, maintained their hold 
upon the minds of men until the beginning of the last cen- 
tury. The unfortunate Urbain Grandier was accused of 
having bewitched the nuns of Loudun, who were thrown 
into the state of ecstasy, and he was burnt alive the 18th 
of April, 1634. 

A similar accusation was brought, in 1700, by the tri- 
bunal of Normandy, against Mary Bucaille, a natural som- 
nambulist, whose state of ecstasy would last three or four 
hours consecutively. It appears by the evidence of the 
most respectable witnesses that Mary had cured, by her 
prayers, a great number of sufferers ; that she obeyed the 
mental orders given to her; that she could discern the 
thoughts, and that she actually knew the state of the con- 
science of any person, present or distant. During one of 
her crises, the Rev. Pastor of Golleville put in the hands 
of Mary a letter folded and sealed, and she answered with 
the utmost accuracy the questions put to her in it, without 
opening the paper ; and notwithstanding she had never 
seen the person who wrote it, she minutely described that 
person's appearance, features, age, and profession. The 
same fact occurred several times, with circumstances more 
or less extraordinary. 

But although Mary used her marvellous faculties for the 
relief of the diseased, and the advancement of Christianity, 
she was nevertheless condemned, by the tribunal of Va- 
logne, as a sorceress, to be burnt alive. The Parlia- 
ment of Rouen, however, changed the sentence, and con- 
demned Mary to be whipped and marked. But this did 
not prevent her from again exhibiting wonderful phe- 
nomena, and performing surprising cures. 

The same characteristics of somnambulism— the same 



GENERAL HISTORY. 249 

benevolent exertions for the relief of human suffering, are 
to be found in all those who were accused of sorcery ; 
and it is surprising that men, celebrated as writers, did not 
sooner enlighten their age on the true nature of the occult 
faculties of man. 

The celebrated physician Avicenna, who flourished in 
the latter part of the ninth century, says, in his treatise 
" de Natural that " the imagination of man can act not 
only on his own body, but even on other and very distant 
bodies. It can fascinate and modify them, make them ill, 
or restore them to health." 

Marcillus Ficinus, born at Florence in 1433, professes 
the same doctrine ; he says, " A vapor, or a certain spirit, 
emitted by the rays of the eyes, or in any other manner, 
can take effect on a person near you ; but you may be sure 
that the action produced will be so much the more con- 
siderable, as the spirit emitted is more abundant and more 
animated by the imagination and the heart. It is not 
to be wondered, that diseases of the mind and of the 
body should be either communicated or cured in that man- 
ner." 

Pomponacius, born at Mantua in 1462, devoted his at- 
tention to the study of phenomena attributed to magic in- 
cantations. He supported with logic and great eloquence 
the opinion, that they all spring from natural causes here- 
tofore unknown, or misunderstood, but that in no instance 
whatever ought they to be attributed to evil spirits. 

" The cures daily performed by certain relics of saints," 
says he, " are the effects of the confidence and imagina- 
tion of the patient alone, for physicians and philosophers 
know very well that if instead of the true bones of the 
saint, the bones of any animal were substituted, the cures 
would be as readily obtained in the latter case as in the 
former. But the facts recorded in the history of past 
ages, as well as those we witness at the present time, de- 



250 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



monstrate the actual and independent influence of a be- 
nevolent soul upon the health of the diseased : some men 
being specially endowed with eminently curative faculties, 
the effects produced by their touch are wonderful ; but 
even touch is not always necessary, their glances, their 
mere intention of doing good, are efficient to the restora- 
tion of health. It will be readily granted, then, that their 
curative power is increased by so favorable a circumstance 
as confidence and imagination. Should this confidence 
be reciprocal between the patient and the person acting 
upon him, the results will be even more astounding : they 
still continue, however, to be the result of natural causes." 
(Pompon., de Incantat., p. 51 et seq.) 

The boldness of the philosophical opinions of Pompon a- 
cius was the cause of violent persecutions, and his book 
was declared impious. 

Agrippa, born at Cologne in 1486, says, " When the 
soul is gifted with a powerful imagination, it acquires 
strength effectual to the causing of health or of disease, 
not only in its proper body, but also in the bodies of oth- 
ers." (De Occulta Philosophia, lib. iv.) 

Paracelsus, born in 1493, studied with ardor the oc- 
cult means of medicine, and succeeded in effecting cures 
considered as impossible. He rejects, as useless, the 
magical ceremonies and conjurations, and affirms that faith 
and imagination are the only source of the superior power 
acquired by certain persons. " Any doubt whatever de- 
stroys the work," says Paracelsus, " and leaves it imper- 
fect in the hands of nature. It is from faith that imagina- 
tion draws its power ; faith completes and realizes it. 
Any one who believes in the secret resources of nature, 
receives from nature according to his own faith ; let the 
object of your faith be real or imaginary, you will in an 
equal degree obtain the same results ; and hence the origin 
of superstition." 



GENERAL HISTORY. 251 

" Imagination and faith," says he again, " can cause or 
remove diseases. Confidence in the virtue of amulets is 
the whole secret of their efficiency ; take away that con- 
fidence, and you will obtain from them nothing, absolutely 
nothing." 

Cardanus, born at Pavia in 1501, performed very ex- 
traordinary cures by unknown means, which drew upon 
him the suspicion of sorcery, and caused him to be incar- 
cerated at Bologna. It was said at first that, like Socrates, 
he had a familiar demon ; but he declared that nature alone 
had endowed him with his marvellous faculties. He 
could rouse at will his own somnambulism, and exhibited, 
in a wonderful degree, all the characteristics peculiar to 
that state. Means of cure, intuition, sight at a distance, and 
correct predictions of future events, were at all times at his 
disposal. During his voluntary crisis, which occurred when- 
ever, and lasted as long as he pleased, he was in a state 
of complete bodily insensibility, and could, at such time, 
by acting on himself, instantly dissipate the pains arising 
from the gout, with which he was occasionally affected. 

The opinion of the celebrated Chancellor Bacon, born 
in 1561, is entirely favorable to the Psycodunamic doc- 
trine. He acknowledges that prevision, and sight at a 
distance, are faculties proper to human nature, and relates 
several instances in corroboration of his judgment. " Ma- 
gic," says he, " is nothing but the power of the imagina- 
tion of one person acting on the body of another." 

Van Helmont, born at Brussels in 1597, performed 
so many surprising cures by Psycodunamic means, that 
in spite of his excellent character for morality and reli- 
gion, he was accused of magic, denounced to the Inquisi- 
tion, and thrown into a dungeon, and would very likely 
have suffered death, if his friends had not succeeded in 
securing his escape. He is the first writer who gave the 
name of Magnetism to Psycodunamy. He wrote two 






252 PSYCODUNAMY. 

special treatises upon it — " De Medicind Magnetic^" and 
" De Magneticd vulnerum curatione." 

" Magnetism" says Van Helmont, " acts every where, 
and has nothing new but its name. It is a paradox to 
those only who laugh at, or doubt, what they cannot ex- 
plain ; or, on the other hand, attribute it to the agency of 

Satan We designate by the name of Magnetism, 

that occult influence which bodies exert at a distance over 
other bodies, either by attraction or repulsion. The me- 
dium of conveyance of this influence is a subtile and vital 
essence, (magnale magnum,) which penetrates all bodies, 
and pervades the universe. It is the moderator of the 
world, for it establishes a correspondence between all its 
different parts, and regulates the forces that each of them 
possesses." 

" We can attach to another body a virtue we ourselves 
enjoy, communicate to it certain properties, and then use it 
as a means of producing salutary effects*" 

" I have delayed to the present time," continues Van 
Helmont, " to unravel a great mystery ; it is, that there 
exists in man such an energy, that by the sole effect of his 
will and imagination he can act out of himself — he can 
give a virtue to, and exert a lasting influence on, a very 
remote object." 

" Will is the first of powers." 

Van Helmont was acquainted with several of the phe- 
nomena of somnambulism ; he had himself experienced 
the transfer of the senses, and their concentration at the 
epigastrium, and concludes, from this fact, that the soul is 
not essentially compelled to use such or such an organ, 
but that, distinct from the senses and from all matter, she, 
like the penetrating light, expands and exerts her faculties 
independently and by her own power, without being under 
the necessity of borrowing the help of any instrument. 
" The contrary doctrine/' says he, " is disgraceful, and 



GENERAL HISTORY. 253 

subversive of all principles of morality, and of the noblest 
hopes of man. What, in fact, would the soul be after the 
dissolution of the body, if she had not the faculty of feel- 
ing and knowing independently of the senses ?" 

Often during his sleep Van Helmont found the solution 
of important questions of science, sometimes in direct an- 
swers, at other times in emblematic images ; and assured- 
ly this kind of sleep may justly be considered as somnam- 
bulism. He used to prepare himself to it by prayer, medi- 
tation, an entire abnegation of self, and a great desire of 
proving useful to his fellow-men ; and as his piety was 
excessive, he referred to divine inspiration all credit for 
the fruit of his researches while in that state. 

Beniveni, a physician of Florence, relates in a treatise, 
De abditis Morborum Causis, that a young man named 
Gaspard was wounded in the chest by an arrow, the iron 
of which remained in the wound. While suffering excru- 
ciating pain, he began suddenly to make predictions, 
named in advance all the persons who were coming to see 
him, foretold the day and the precise hour of his cure, and 
his departure for Rome, where he was to die. His lucid- 
ity was still further manifested in his prediction of the ex- 
ile and flight of Peter of Medicis, the calamities which 
would befall Florence, the subjugation of the whole of 
Italy, and many other things of the greatest interest. 

Beniveni saw the fulfilment of all those predictions : 
the iron of the arrow issued from the wound the day and 
hour predicted by Gaspard ; and with the iron, the faculty 
of prevision also left him. A short time after he went to 
Rome, where he died as he had foretold he should. 

When the queen of Navarre was at Metz, dangerously 
ill with fever, she described the battle of Jarnac as if she 
were witnessing it. " See how they run away," said she : 
" my son is victorious. Gracious Heaven ! help my son ! 
he falls to the ground ! Do you not see along that hedge 
22 



254 PSYCODUNAMY. 

the prince of Conde lying dead ?" The bystanders deem- 
ed her delirious ; but on the next night the news of the 
victory won by Henry IV., with all the particulars men- 
tioned by the queen of Navarre, struck everybody with 
amazement. (JSlemoires de la Heine de Navarre, p. 84.) 

Henry of Her, physician to the archbishop of Cologne, 
gives an account of a somnambulist, forty-five years of age, 
who predicted, in his dreams, successively, the death of 
his father-in-law, his wife, his eldest son, and several 
other persons, with the utmost exactness. 

Alexander ab Alexandro relates a fact very similar, 
which happened to his pupil Marius. 

Wirdig, a German physician, born at Einsiedeln in 1648, 
published, at Hamburg, in 1673, his "Nova Medicina Spi- 
rituum" which spread his principles over all Germany. 
He sought to explain the phenomena of Psycodunamy 
by the supposition of the existence of a vital spirit which 
pervades the whole universe, reminding us of the "Mag- 
nate Magnum" of Van Helmont. Endowed with a lively 
and brilliant imagination, he pretends that this spirit sus- 
tains life, not only in the animal, but even m the vegeta- 
ble kingdom. His ingenious theory represents this spirit 
as now penetrating, now receding from bodies ; now 
expanding, now concentrating ; now circulating, now ra- 
diating ; assuming, in a word, a thousand various modifi- 
cations, by which he explains health and diseases, the 
power of curing or causing maladies, the faculties of in- 
tuition, of sight at a distance, of presentiments, of sympa- 
thy, &c. 

Maxwell, physician to the king of England, lived at 
the same epoch ; he published, in his work " De re Mag- 
netica" in 1679, a theory in which the principal proposi- 
tions adopted by Mesmer are to be found. I will quote 
a few of his principles, with the view of enabling my read- 
ers to judge of them : 



GENERAL HISTORY. 255 

" The vital spirit, or the soul, is not only inside, but also 
extends outside of the body." 

" There emanate from all bodies, rays of subtile matter, 
which are so many means that the vital spirit sets in mo- 
tion, and to which it imparts its own energy and power of 
action." 

" In all kinds of diseases, the chief point to achieve, is 
to fortify, multiply, and regenerate the vital spirit : in so 
doing, you will be able to cure all kinds of disorders." 

He sums up the whole of his medical philosophy in the 
following proposition : 

" That there exists a universal remedy, no one can 
doubt. For, in strengthening the particular vital spirit of 
any affected organ, you will restore its natural functions, 
which disease had altered. There is no disorder which 
has not sometimes disappeared by the natural action of this 
spirit alone, without any medical help. Universal medi- 
cine is nothing else but the action diminished or increased 
of the vital spirit in a just proportion." 

The principles of Maxwell were adopted by the cele- 
brated Robt. Boyle, the founder of the Royal Society of 
London ; after a careful examination of the facts, fully 
convinced of their importance, he relied upon them in con- 
futing the speculative subtleties of the philosophy of Aris- 
totle, and in demonstrating the emptiness of Galenism. 
He even refused to read the works of Descartes, which 
were, at the time, held in great esteem, alleging his fear 
of rinding in them more brilliant imagination than correct 
observation, and seductive hypotheses instead of positive 
facts. He was never accused of being a dreamer or a 
visionary ; his fame as a man of sound judgment, a pro- 
found mathematician, and an accurate observer, render his 
assertions, how strange soever they may at first appear, 
deserving of attention and investigation. In his treatise, 
" De mird corporum subiilitate" he admits as undeniable 



t 



256 PSYCODUNAMY. 

principles — 1st, A universal fluid ; 2d, A reciprocal action 
at a distance between all organized bodies. 

Robt. Boyle, was of the family of the counts of Cork and 
Orrery, and was born at Lismore, in Ireland, the 25th of 
January, 1626 : he died at London the 30th of December, 
1691. 

The Psycological theory of medicine taught by Stahl 
contains, among its many metaphysical hypotheses, some 
important Psycodunamic truths. The actual power of 
the soul, in the production and cure of diseases, he per- 
fectly understood, and has described ; he was only igno- 
rant of the full extent of that power over other bodies, al- 
though his frequent recommendation that a physician 
should, by all possible means, act favorably on the imagi- 
nation of his patient, and secure his confidence, proves 
that he knew that the presence and actions of the physi- 
cian have an effect no less salutary and positive than the 
drugs administered. 

I could have quoted many more instances of Psycodu- 
namic theories, phenomena, and cures ; but I will refer 
my readers to the medical work, entitled " Denarius Jiledi- 
cus ;" and the writings of Porta, Crollius, Goclenius, Mohy, 
Papirius, Digby, Rattray, Laurent Strauss, Rob. Fludd, 
Beccker, Borel, Bartholin, Servius de Spolette, Kirker, Fras- 
cator, Tenzel, Santanelli, Burgravius, Libavius, &c. &c. 

I cannot, however, omit speaking of a few celebrated 
characters, whose Psycodunamic faculties were exceed- 
ingly remarkable. 

Valextixe Greatrakes, an unpretending and pious 
man, who was never accused of knavery or deception, 
went throughout England, from 1662 to 1666, and per- 
formed- the most extraordinary cures. Joseph Glanville, 
the celebrated author of " Scepsis Scientifica" and chap- 
lain to Charles II., has preserved testimonies of him, 
which have never been gainsaid. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 257 

" By the application of his hands," says the learned 
George Rust, lord bishop of Derry, " he caused pain to 
disappear, attracting it towards the extremities. The re- 
sult was, at times, very rapid, and I have seen persons 
cured as if it were by magic. If the pain did not cease, 
after a few trials, he would protract his operations during 
several days. I do affirm that I saw him cure dizziness, 
ophthalmia, ear-ache, epileptic, fits, scrofula, and cancerous 
tumors of the breast. In five days he brought to maturity 
tumors which had lasted several years. 

" I am not induced by these cures to believe that there 
was something superhuman in them. He himself did not 
think there was, and his way of operating proves that 
there was neither miracle nor divine interference. It 
would seem that some beneficial and salutary emanation 
issued from him. Some diseases required long and re- 
peated operations, while others altogether refused to yield 
to his exertions." 

" Greatrakes believes," says the same writer, " that the 
faculty of curing diseases is a special gift of God. He 
sometimes would wonder at his own power, and doubted, 
at first, whether he was not deceiving himself on its ex- 
tent. But he was finally convinced that it was a particu- 
lar favor which he had received, and hence he devoted 
himself entirely to the cure of patients." 

Greatrakes' mode of practice attracted the attention of 
many physicians. Faireclow, Astelius, and Pecklin fol- 
lowed him, and carefully investigated the facts related of 
him. 

" I was struck," says Faireclow, " with his mildness to- 
wards his patients, and kind attendance upon them. The 
effects produced by his hands are truly wonderful. He 
uses no particular preparation. Whenever he has cured 
anybody, he merely says, ' God be praised, and may his 
will preserve your health.' If any one speaks of remu- 

22* 



258 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



iterating him, he refuses, saying, ' Your thanks are due to 
God alone.' " 

Astelius speaks of him in a like manner. " I have seen 
Greatrakes relieve instantly the most excruciating pains, 
by the mere application of his hand. I have known him 
cause a pain to go from the shoulder to the foot, and from 
this out through the ends of the toes. A remarkable thing 
is, that whenever he was compelled to leave off before he 
had effected a complete cure, the pain would remain where 
he left it, and resume its downward march so soon as he 
would himself resume his operation. He used to cure 
wounds by touching them, and sometimes wetting them 
with his saliva. In a few cases, however, he did not 
succeed." 

" The diseases which have been cured by Greatrakes," 
says Pecklin, " are very numerous : paralysis, blindness, 
deafness, dropsy, pleurisy, all kinds of fevers, neuralgia, 
tumors, cancer, scrofula, &c. &c, have been cured by 
his merely touching." (Observ. Medic, liv. iii.) 

The Royal Society of London, during the presidency 
of the celebrated Robert Boyle, investigated the matter, 
and paid to Greatrakes a well-deserved tribute of praise. 
But in this case, as in other instances of singular success, 
envy and calumny were at work to revile his merits. St. 
Evremont published against him a pamphlet, entitled " The 
Irish Prophet" in which he endeavored to ridicule Great- 
rakes, by pretending that he boasted of his knowledge of 
the intrigues of evil spirits, and by other absurdities and 
evident fabrications. But the work of St. Evremont is 
forgotten, while the memory of Greatrakes is preserved 
with honor. 

Emanuel Swedenborg was born at Stockholm in 
1688. I will quote from his writings what he says of 
himself. " From my youth to my tenth year, my thoughts 
were constantly engrossed by reflecting upon God, on sal- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 259 

vation, and on the spiritual passions of man. 7" often re- 
vealed things in my discourse which filled my parents with 
astonishment, and made them declare, at times, that certainly 
the angels spoke through my mouth. From my sixth to my 
twelfth year, it was my greatest delight to converse with 
the clergy concerning faith, to whom I often observed 
that charity or love was the life of faith, and that this vi- 
vifying charity or love was no other than the love of one's 
neighbor ; that God vouchsafes this faith to every one, 
but that it is adopted by those only who practise that 
charity." 

We read in another place : " I have been called to a 
holy office by the Lord himself, who most graciously 
manifested himself in person to me, his servant, in the 
year 1743, when he opened my sight to the view of the 
spiritual world, and granted me the privilege of conver- 
sing with spirits and angels, which I have enjoyed to this 
day. From that time I began to print and publish various 
arcana that, have been seen by me, or revealed to me ; 
as respecting heaven and hell, the state of man after 
death, the true worship of God, the spiritual sense of 
the Word, with many other most important matters con- 
ducive to salvation and true wisdom." (Life of Sweden- 
borg, p. 12.) 

The celebrated Professor Kant, the German philoso- 
pher, narrates of Swedenborg the two following occur- 
rences : 

" Madame Harteville, the widow of a Dutch envoy at 
Stockholm, was, some time after the death of her husband, 
asked by Croon, the goldsmith, for the payment of a set 
of silver plate, which the husband had ordered to be made 
by him. The widow was indeed convinced that her de- 
ceased husband was too orderly and particular in his af- 
fairs not to have settled and paid the account ; however, 
she could find no receipt to testify the payment. In her 



260 PSYCODUNAMY. 

trouble, as the value was considerable, she entreated Mr. 
Swedenborg to pay her a visit. After some apologies, 
she besought him, if he possessed the gift of being able 
to speak with departed souls, as everybody said he did, 
to have the kindness to inquire of her departed husband, 
respecting the demand of payment for the set of silver 
plate. Swedenborg was very affable, and promised to 
serve her in this affair. Three days afterwards, the same 
lady had company, when Mr. Swedenborg came and told 
her, in his cool manner, that he had spoken with her hus- 
band. The debt had been paid seven months before his 
death, and the receipt had been put in a bureau which 
was in an upper apartment. The lady replied that this 
bureau had been cleared out, and that the receipt could 
not be found among any of the papers. Swedenborg re- 
plied, that her husband had told him, that if a drawer on 
the left side of the bureau were pulled out, a board would 
be observed, which must be pushed away, and then a se- 
cret drawer would be discovered, in which he used to 
keep his secret Dutch correspondence, and in which also 
he had put the receipt. At this indication, the lady, ac- 
companied by all her friends, went to the upper apart- 
ment. They opened the bureau, and proceeded accord- 
ing to Swedenborg's instruction ; they found the drawer, 
of which the lady had not known, and in it the papers 
and receipt were met with, to the very great astonishment 
of all." 

" But the following occurrence appears to me to have 
the greatest weight of proof, and to set the assertion re- 
specting Swedenborg's extraordinary gift out of all possi- 
bility of doubt. In the year 1756, when Swedenborg, to- 
wards the end of September, on Saturday, at four o'clock 
P. M., arrived at Gothenburg, from England, Mr. William 
Castel invited him to his house, together with a party of 
fifteen persons. About six o'clock Swedenborg went out, 



GENERAL HISTORY. 261 

and after a short interval returned to the company, quite 
pale and alarmed. He said that a dangerous fire had just 
broken out in Stockholm, at the Sundermalm, (Gothenburg 
is about three hundred English miles from Stockholm,) 
and that it was spreading very fast. He was restless, and 
went out very often. He said that the house of one of his 
friends, whom he named, was already in ashes, and that 
his own was in danger. At eight o'clock, after he had 
been out again, he joyfully exclaimed : ' Thank God ! the 
fire is extinguished the third door from my house.' This 
news occasioned great commotion through the whole city, 
and particularly among the company in which he was. It 
was announced the same evening to the governor. On 
Sunday morning Swedenborg was sent for by the governor, 
who questioned him concerning the disaster. Sweden- 
borg described the fire precisely, how it had begun, in 
what manner it ceased, and how long it had continued. 
On the same day the news spread through the city, for the 
governor had thought it worthy of attention. On Monday 
evening a messenger arrived at Gothenburg, who was dis- 
patched during the time of the fire. In the letters brought 
by him, the fire was described precisely in the manner 
stated by Swedenborg. On Tuesday morning the royal 
courier arrived at the governor's with the sad intelligence 
of the fire, confirming all the particulars given by Sweden- 
borg immediately after it had ceased, for the fire was ex- 
tinguished at eight o'clock." 

" What can be brought forward against the authority of 
this occurrence ? adds Emmanuel Kant. The inhabitants 
of a whole city, of w T hom the greater portion are still alive, 
[August, 1758,] were witnesses of the fact, and concur in 
bearing testimony to the memorable occurrence." 

John Joseph Gassner, born at Braz, in the circle of 
Suabia, 1727, having been delivered by exorcism from a 
long-continued disease, which had resisted all the resour- 



262 PSYCODUNAMY. 

ces of the medical art, persuaded himself that human in- 
firmities were, for the most part, attributable to no other 
cause than demoniacal possession, and that they should 
be treated with exorcism. He began by curing the sick 
of his own parish ; but very soon Switzerland, the Tyrol, 
and Suabia, sent him theirs, and he cured four or five hun- 
dred a year. After having gone over different provinces, 
he established himself at Ratisbon, under the protection of 
the lord bishop, (prince-eveque.) The number of persons 
resorting to him was so considerable, that he often had ten 
thousand of them encamped in the neighborhood of the 
city. Gassner regarded faith as an essential condition in 
obtaining a cure. His patients were seldom delivered 
from their afflictions at the first exorcism. He devoted 
several hours to them, and often many days. When he 
wished to act upon a patient, he made him place him- 
self on his knees before him. He usually touched the 
affected part : he also rubbed his hands upon the waist 
or the neck of the sufferer ; but this was not always his 
practice. 

Gassner could, by his will, make the pulse of his pa- 
tients vary ; he made it small, great, strong, feeble, slow, 
quick, irregular, or intermittent ; in a word, just as the 
physicians who were present requested him. He para- 
lyzed their limbs ; caused them to weep, to laugh ; and 
soothed or agitated them by expressing simply his order 
mentally. 

He thus effected the most extraordinary cures. By 
a small number of persons the facts were discredited or 
denied ; but, strange to tell, the celebrated De Haen, one 
of the first physicians of his age, not conceiving how 
Gassner had been able to perform such cures, concluded 
that his power was derived from the devil. He question- 
ed with himself, however, whether they might not have 
been performed by sympathy, or by occult philosophy ; 



GENERAL HISTORY. 263 

but he declared he knew of no one sufficiently versed in 
it to perform things so wonderful. It was reserved to 
Mesmer to unravel the mystery, which he did at his first 
stay in Munich, as will be seen in the succeeding chapter. 



264 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER III. 

MESMER. 



The latter part of the eighteenth century is no less re- 
markable as the aurora of political freedom, than as the 
dawn of Psycodunamy as a science. If it was then that the 
emancipation of thought from the thraldom of tyranny gave 
birth to the liberty of America and the revolution of France ; 
it was then, also, that Psycodunamy began, under the 
name of Animal Magnetism, to struggle for admission 
among her sister sciences ; but, less fortunate than Liberty 
in her war to overcome old prejudices, she could not so 
soon compel scientific despotism to acknowledge her rights 
to the regards of men. However, like Liberty, her sister 
in birth, in the war that she had to wage against oppres- 
sion, she met with hatred, injustice, and violence, yet 
without being extinguished : had she, however, been 
crushed for a time, the triumph of error and prejudice 
would have been but of brief duration. Like Liberty, she 
is essential to the highest good of man ; and, as has so 
often happened with expiring Liberty, she would eventual- 
ly have risen again, Phoenix-like, from her own moulder- 
ing ashes. 

The most cursory inspection of the majority of historical 
works written at this period, will convince us that their 
authors very unanimously stigmatize as a charlatan the 
person who first attempted publicly to demonstrate the ex- 
istence in man of natural faculties heretofore generally un- 
known or misunderstood, and more or less cautiously hint- 
ed at by the philosophers who had observed them. But, 
whatever the private character of Mesmer may have been, 
it would have been a fact much more remarkable than any 



GENERAL HISTORY. 265 

to which he called public attention, if, surrounded as he 
was by numerous and bitter enemies, calumny had not as- 
sailed it. True, however, as we know it to be, that his 
imposing theory could not resist the test of time and expe- 
rience, and that modern improvements in the practice have 
caused his apparatus to be abandoned ; yet, the tongue of 
candor will confess that he succeeded in drawing from 
darkness a most important truth ; and that from the year 
1774 to 1784 he constantly gave the most satisfactory evi- 
dences of his own Psycodunamic power, both by instanta- 
neous effects and very extraordinary cures. 

Believing that an exact and full account of Mesmer will 
not appear to my readers devoid of interest, I will here re- 
late his history. 

Frederick Anthony Mesmer was born in 1734, at 
Weiler, near the city of Stein, on the Rhine. He studied 
medicine under Yan Swieten and De Haen, and succeed- 
ed by his proficiency and learning, in securing their par- 
ticular regard. His reflections on human knowledge in 
general, and especially on the doctrine of the influence of 
the celestial bodies, induced him to sift the rubbish of that 
pretended science, in order to ascertain if it actually did con- 
tain any thing truly useful and worth preserving. " Fully 
aware," says he himself, " that among the vulgar opinions 
and creeds of all times, which did not draw their origin 
from mere feelings of the human heart, there exist but 
few which are not the remains of an actual and primitive- 
ly acknowledged truth, I published, in 1766, in Vienna, 
my dissertation, ' De planet-arum influxu] in which I proved 
.hat the celestial bodies, in virtue of the same law which 
causes their mutual attraction, exert an influence on ani- 
mated bodies, and particularly on the nervous system, 
through the agency of a universal fluid," etc. He noticed 
that diseases grow worse, or are cured, with or without 
the help of common drugs, and independently of the vari- 

23 



266 PSYCOBUNAMY, 

ous medical theories and the most opposite methods of 
treatment. He hence concluded, that "there exists in 
nature a universally acting principle, which alone, and by 
its own virtue, effects that which is indiscriminately re- 
ferred to medical science." 

In 1773 he undertook in his own house the cure of Miss 
(Esterline, twenty-nine years of age, who was affected 
with a convulsive disease, extremely complicated. He 
noticed that natural crises would sometimes alleviate the 
sufferings of the patient, and succeeded in ascertaining the 
time and foretelling the moment of those changes. En- 
couraged by this first success, he tried to produce artifi- 
cially those salutary crises by using magnetic steel bars, 
prepared by Father Hell, a Jesuit, Professor of Astronomy 
at the University of Yienna . 

Miss (Esterline having had a crisis on the 28th of July, 
1774, Mesmer applied those bars to the stomach and legs. 
She felt, internally, painful currents of subtile matter, which, 
after an evident struggle to take a determined course, 
finally passed downward to the extremities, and suspended, 
during six hours, all the symptoms of the disease. The 
next day the same effect took place, and Mesmer then 
began to perceive that li another principle besides the gene- 
ral laws of matter, viz. the will of the operator, was in- 
creasing the power of the magnet, which, by itself, was 
unable to produce such an action on the nerves." 

A few days afterwards Mesmer communicated to Father 
Hell the success which he obtained, without mentioning, 
however, the important observation connected with it. 
Never discretion proved to be more judicious ; for the 
Jesuit hurried himself in publishing that, " through the 
agency of magnetic steel bars," to which he attributed a 
special virtue on account of their form, "he had discover- 
ed the means of curing the severest kinds of nervous dis- 
orders." He sent patterns of these bars to several scien- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 267 

title academies, with the necessary instructions, stating 
that " he had disclosed his discoveries to many physicians, 
and particularly to Mesmer, who continued to make ex- 
periments for him and under his directions." 

What could a young man, still unknown and unprotect- 
ed, do against a celebrated Professor, whose influence and 
power, from his position as a member of the Society of 
Jesuits, was so extensive and formidable ? Incredible as 
it may appear, it is nevertheless on account of Mesmer's 
public demonstrations against Father Hell, that the secret 
and unrelenting revenge of the Society of Jesus has ever 
since followed Mesmer — his doctrine and his pupils ! 

To the Baron de Stoerck, President of the Medical 
Faculty of Vienna, and first physician to the emperor of 
Austria, Mesmer offered to disclose, without any reserva- 
tion, his observations and the means he employed ; but the 
Baron rejected the offer, and advised him not to disgrace 
the Faculty by giving publicity to his innovations. 

The Professor of Natural Philosophy, Ingenhoulze, 
united with M. de Stoerck to engage Mesmer not to ex- 
pose Father Hell, and to preserve a prudent silence. He 
went even farther ; he attempted to convince Mesmer that 
he was deceiving himself with regard to the importance 
of his researches. But, instead of answering the objec- 
tions, Mesmer, in presence of the Professor, tried his ex- 
periments on Miss (Esterline, who was then in the middle 
of one of her crises, and perfectly unconscious. During 
that state Mesmer occasioned in her, at will, convulsive 
motions by merely pointing his finger towards her ; or by 
causing M. Ingenhoulze to touch her with a china cup, 
which, out of a dozen of the kind, had been prepared for the 
purpose, — while a trial with the others produced no effect. 
Ingenhoulze confessed that he was convinced; yet he had 
hardly left the house ere he pretended that he had found 



268 PSYCODUNAMY. 

out that the whole affair was nothing but a contemptible 
deception. 

It was to clear himself from so gross an imputation that 
Mesmer, on the 5th of January, 1775, published his " Let- 
ter to a Foreign Physician" in which he reveals the nature 
and the action of a new principle, and the analogy of its 
properties to those of the magnet and electricity. He be- 
gan his experiments in the Hospital of the Spaniards, in 
the presence of M. Rienlien, physician of this establish- 
ment ; but, in spite of his evident successes, when he had 
been there eight days, he received from a superior autho- 
rity a peremptory order to discontinue his experiments. 

This unfavorable reception determined Mesmer to leave 
Vienna and travel through Swabia and Switzerland. He 
performed several remarkable cures in presence of many 
physicians. It was in the latter part of the year 1775, 
during Mesmer's stay at Munich, that the Elector of Ba- 
varia consulted him on the cures performed by the cele- 
brated Father Gassner, of Ratisbon. Mesmer satisfied 
him that they were the result of a principle very differ- 
ent from that to which the good priest attributed them. 

A short time after, the Academy of Sciences of that 
capital admitted him as one of their members ; and in 1776 
he succeeded in curing the president of this academy, the 
Baron d'Osterval, who was affected with amaurosis and a 
paralysis of the limbs. At that time he had already re- 
jected the magnet and electricity from his practice. 

Soon afterwards Mesmer returned to Vienna, and here 
he undertook, on the 20th of January, 1777, the treatment 
of Miss Paradis, a young lady eighteen years of age, af- 
fected from her infancy with a complete amaurosis, and 
subject at times to nervous fits, which caused the eyeballs 
not only to protrude, but even to fall from their sockets ; 
she was also characterized by a kind of phrensy, so violent 
as to render her, during its paroxysms, a perfect maniac. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 269 

The great improvement in her condition, which followed 
the practice of Mesmer, attracted crowds of people to wit- 
ness his success. The two presidents of the Medical 
Faculty, yielding to the urgent request of the patient's fa- 
ther, came themselves, at the head of a committee appoint- 
ed by the Faculty, and after a thorough examination of the 
state of Miss Paradis, expressed explicitly their admira- 
tion and astonishment. M. de Stoerk, who during ten 
years had attended her without any success, expressed in 
a particular manner to Mesmer his complete satisfaction 
from witnessing so interesting a cure, and his sincere re- 
grets for not having previously supported, by his avowed 
approval, the importance of such a discovery. 

Induced by such unreserved and gratifying testimonies, 
Mr. Paradis thought proper to publish in the newspapers 
the complete narrative of the cure of his daughter. Every 
thing appeared to presage to Mesmer a complete triumph. 
But, little did he dream of the implacable and gigantic 
power which he had offended in the person of Father 
Hell ! His adversaries were too attentive and too much 
interested in his downfall, not to throw in his way all pos- 
sible obstacles. In this instance, it was the father of the 
patient whom they circumvented. They represented to 
him that, should it be known that Miss Paradis was cured, 
the Empress would no longer pay the pension she had 
granted to the young lady on account of her infirmities. 

The father, on this intelligence, immediately claimed 
his daughter, who was boarding in the physician's family. 
The latter refused to comply with the request before he 
had rendered the cure a permanent one. M. Paradis, ex- 
asperated at this unexpected resistance, resorted to ex- 
treme means. M. de Stoerk, who had already forgotten 
what he had seen and even written in favor of Mesmer, or 
at least who thought it prudent to appear so, gave, on the 
9d of May, 1777, an order to send back to her family the 
23* 



270 PSYCODUNAMY. 

most unwilling patient. The very next day the parents 
pretended that their daughter was as bad as ever ; and, in- 
credible as it may seem, they compelled her to feign in 
public her former convulsions and blindness. The secret 
enemies of Mesmer circulated the news most industriously* 
and, in spite of many respectable witnesses to the con- 
trary, the falsehood, as too often happens, gained a more 
ready credence than the truth. 

It is easy to conceive how Mesmer was affected by such 
ingratitude : yet, he devoted the last six months of the 
same year in completing the cures of three other young 
ladies whom he had received into his house at the same 
time with Miss Paradis. Resolving, at length, to leave 
Vienna, he announced through the newspapers his depar- 
ture, saying, that notwithstanding his absence, his three 
patients would remain with his wife and family ; that ev- 
erybody could see them, and satisfy themselves of their 
entire recovery. But, by virtue of an order of a superior 
authority, they were compelled to quit the house, a short 
time after Mesmer had left the city. 

Mesmer arrived at Paris in February, 1778. He at first 
intended to remain there incognito, and to make the ac- 
quaintance of only a few scientific men, who would after- 
wards correspond with him, and help him in the diffusion 
of what he himself called " his discovery" However, his 
name had already obtained some celebrity, and scarcely 
had he taken his lodgings, when patients from many quar- 
ters came to him, asking to be relieved from their diseases. 
He could not long resist their entreaties ; and this first 
change in his determination caused him to seek from the 
learned bodies the approval of his system and mode of 
practice. He imagined that in France he would meet 
with less persecution than had been his portion in his own 
country, but his hopes were again to be frustrated. He 
had letters of introduction to the most eminent persons, 



GENERAL HISTORY. 271 

and even to the queen of France. He had no sooner ar- 
rived, however, than his enemies circulated a most odious 
calumny — that he had been compelled to leave Vienna on 
account of some misdemeanor. 

In Paris he became acquainted with M. Leroi, President 
of the Academy of Sciences. This gentleman, having 
witnessed several Psycodunamic experiments, expressed 
his desire to contribute to the progress of a science the 
reality of which he no longer questioned. He offered to 
Mesmer his support and influence in the Academy. The 
Novator put in his hands a summary of his system, and 
they agreed about the day on which he would himself be 
present at a meeting of the Academy to witness the effect 
of the report. The conduct of the Academy in this cir- 
cumstance was so singular, that I will let Mesmer himself 
expose it, in order to shield myself from the charge of ex- 
aggeration : 

" I was punctual ; I arrived early enough to see every 
member as he came in. They formed between them 
several irregular groups, where, very likely, some scien- 
tific matter was the subject of discussion. I supposed that 
so soon as the members had assembled, the attention, 
which so far had remained divided, would become gene- 
ral, and called upon one particular subject. I was in er- 
ror. They all went on with their private conversation, 
and when M. Leroi began to speak, he called in vain for 
attention and silence ; and even his perseverance in that 
request was tartly rebuked by one of his colleagues, who, 
out of humor, told him that he would obtain neither the 
one nor the other, and that, if he chose it, he was welcome 
to leave his papers on the table, where any one who should 
like it, could go and take cognizance of them. M. Leroi 
was no more lucky in announcing a second subject. An- 
other member told him cavalierly to pass to another point, 
this one being overdone and over-tedious. Lastly, a third 



272 PSYCODUNAMY. 

attempt to call attention in favor of another matter was 
most rudely repulsed by the cry, ' Imposture? from the 
mouth of a third learned academician, who just interrupted 
his private babbling to pronounce this mature decision. 

" Fortunately, mention of me had not yet been made ; I 
lost the object of the meeting, and made profound reflec- 
tions on the kind of awe and veneration which heretofore 
I had entertained for the Academy of Sciences of Paris, 
and I came to the conclusion that there are things which 
must be seen only at a proper distance ; for if you come 
too near, how ugly they are ! 

" M. Leroi interrupted my revery by coming and telling 
me that he was about to speak in my behalf. I objected 
earnestly, and urged him to choose a better time. ' Their 
minds are too ill-disposed to-day,' said I. ' They have no 
respect for yourself; is it not evident, then, that they 
would have still less for a stranger like me ? And by all 
means I decline to be present at the reading of my manu- 
script.' I would have gone away if M. Leroi had per- 
sisted. 

" The assembly ended as it began ; the members went 
out successively, without any general discussion having 
taken place. There remained at last about a dozen mem- 
bers, whose curiosity was sufficiently excited by M. Leroi 
to induce them to request me to try some experiment. 

" The childishness of asking for experiments before 
knowing any thing on the question, would have prevented 
me from making any, even if I had had the idea of it. I 
awkwardly refused, on the ground that the place for ex- 
perimenting was not a convenient one ; and, more awk- 
wardly still, I suffered myself to be led to M. Leroi's, 
where Mr. A***, subject to attacks of asthma, consented to 
be experimented upon. 

" Mr. A*** was sitting in an easy-chair ; I was stand- 
ing before him, and taking hold of his hands. At some 



GENERAL HISTORY. 273 

distance, and behind me, scornfully tittering, was grouped 
the rest of the company. 

" I asked Mr. A***, what were the sensations that I 
caused in him. He readily answered, that he felt some 
twitching in his wrists, and a kind of current of subtile 
matter in his arms. But when his colleagues ironically 
put to him the same question, he dared not answer plainly; 
he hesitated and stammered. I thought I would go farther, 
and I caused him to feel instantly one of his attacks of 
asthma ; the cough was dreadful. ' What is the matter ?' 
asked again, sneeringly, the other academicians. ' It is 
nothing, no, nothing at all,' replied Mr. A*** ; ' it is only 
my cough. My asthma causes such an accident every 
day.' ' Does it come every day at the same hour V asked 
I aloud. ' No, not exactly. The paroxysm began a little 
sooner ; but it is nothing.' ' I do not doubt it,' said I, 
coolly ; and I left him alone to put an end to this ridicu- 
lous scene. 

" I thought I could perceive that Mr. A*** was more 
free after the departure of some of the persons present ; 
we were only five, including M. Leroi, Mr. A***, and 
myself. I offered to those gentlemen to make some other 
experiments. They consented, and accordingly I ban- 
daged the eyes of Mr. A***. I made several passes 
under his nose, and at my will he smelt the odor of sul- 
phur, or ceased to smell it. What I did for the sense of 
smell, I did also for the sense of taste with a cup of water, 
which at my will assumed different flavors. 

" These experiments having been thoroughly tested, and 
Mr. A*** having confessed plainly and repeatedly what 
his sensations had been, I retired, very dissatisfied with 
myself for having, to so little purpose, lost my time and 
the brightness of my anticipations. 

" A few days after, I called on M. de Merci, ambassa- 
dor of Austria. He had been told by the Abbe Fontana, 



274 PSYCODUNAMY. 

a Jesuit, particularly acquainted with M. Leroi, that the 
aforesaid experiments had proved a complete failure ; and, 
to say the least of it, the circumstance was rather singular. 

" I had an opportunity of showing a manuscript to the 
Count de Maillebois, general in the army of the king of 
France, and a member of the Academy of Sciences ; it 
was part of a work in which I had developed the theory 
of my system, and where I expressed how deeply I re- 
gretted that so illustrious a body had not yet thought prop- 
er to devote any attention to the subject. 

" I met at M. de Maillebois's, M. Leroi, to whom I 
bluntly complained of his having taken advantage of my 
being a foreigner, without friends, to expose me to the im- 
pertinent laugh of his colleagues. In my just indignation, 
I went so far as to say, that I could not think much of a 
man, who, after having himself espoused the cause of 
truth, would shamefully back out on the first occasion. 

" French urbanity smoothed the bitterness of this con- 
versation ; from the result of this reproof, M. de Maillebois 
led us by degrees to devote our attention only to the cause. 
Sensible questions on the nature, effects, and consequen- 
ces of my discovery, were successively examined and 
satisfactorily answered by me. He expressed his regrets 
for not having himself been so situated as to have spared 
me the grievances of which I complained, and to have 
witnessed the experiments which his colleagues had 
slighted. I told him I would give him, at any time, an 
opportunity of satisfying himself on that score. 

" The day was taken ; and Messrs. de Maillebois and 
Leroi, his lady, and one of their friends, came to my 
lodgings, where several of my patients had arrived. One 
of the latter would swell or grow thin at will, under my 
influence ; this fact is enough to prove how conclusive 
were my experiments. 

f M. de Maillebois made no use of subterfuges ; he 



GENERAL HISTORY. 275 

candidly confessed his utter astonishment ; but at the same 
time he said, that he would not dare to give a full account 
of that which he had seen, for fear of being laughed at. 
M. Leroi expressed himself in like manner, and advised 
me to show the importance of my discovery by evidences 
of its usefulness, such as the cure of several patients. 

" I positively rejected this means of conviction, for ex- 
perience had taught me how little the most remarkable 
cures had proved in favor of my cause at Vienna. I add- 
ed, that actual testimony of their own senses ought to en- 
able all persons, and more so scientific men, who are less 
liable to be deceived, to appreciate the worth of such ex- 
periments as mine. ' My principal object,' said I, ' is to 
demonstrate the existence of a physical agent heretofore 
unobserved, and not to array against my discoveries med- 
ical men, whose personal interests would necessarily in- 
duce them to injure my cause, and even my person. It is 
as a natural philosopher myself, and not as a physician, 
that I call on you, men of science, requesting you to exam- 
ine natural phenomena, and to pronounce on my system.' 

" I had on previous occasions heard the opinion ex- 
pressed, in a vague manner, that imagination was the 
cause of some of those effects — which could not be denied. 
But it was a new thing to me, to refer to it phenomena of 
the character of those which I had just elicited. This 
pitiful objection came from the mouth of M. Leroi. 

" I was prepared against the specious arguments of or- 
dinary prudence. The pathos of a preacher in favor of 
humanity would have lost its effect on me ; I could have 
resisted even the supplications of a friend; so fully con- 
vinced was I that considerations independent of any per- 
sonal interest ought evidently to be my sole motive in or- 
der to secure the fate of my discovery, and leave no 
ground to the disgusting imputation of being a vender of 
quack remedies ; and yet I could not stand this childish 



276 PSYCODUNAMY. 

objection : I was taken by surprise — I felt excited — I lost 
sight of my resolutions — I accepted the challenge, and, 
against all the dictates of ray experience, I undertook the 
cure of patients. 

" This kind of test may appear to some persons the very 
best ; but let me undeceive them. There is no possibility 
of giving an actual and palpable demonstration that a phy- 
sician, or a remedy, has cured a disease ; chance, nature, 
and imagination will account for any success. It will be 
seen, in the sequel, on how large a scale, and with what 
constant advantage, such an explanation has been used 
against me. 

" But, for instance, if under my hand a pain is drawn 
from one place to another ; if, at will, I carry it from the 
head to the chest, from the chest to the abdomen, and back 
again from the abdomen to the chest, and from the chest 
to the head, nothing but complete madness, or the most 
shameful malice, can refuse to acknowledge who produces 
similar sensations. Accordingly, I set forth an incontes- 
table axiom when I say, that a man of science can in one 
hour be as convinced of the truth of my discovery, as a 
country boor of Switzerland could be after a treatment of 
several months. * 

" However, I had accepted the challenge of curing pa- 
tients to convince learned men. It was agreed that they 
should be examined by physicians of the faculty of Paris, 
who, after a written statement of each case before begin- 
ning, should make the inspection of the same persons 
when I should declare their treatment at an end, so as to 
render my success unquestionable. 

" I faithfully kept my engagements : in the month of 
May, 1778, I retired with several patients, whose diseases 
had been duly certified, to the village of Creteil, six miles 
from Paris, and on the 22d of the next August I wrote to 
M. Lcroi the following letter : — 



GENERAL HISTORY. 277 

" ' To M. Leroi, President of the Academy of Sciences of Paris. 

Creteil, 22d of August, 1778. 

" ' Sir — I had the honor of repeatedly calling your at- 
tention, as President of the Academy, to the importance 
of Animal Magnetism. Several members of your learned 
body had also made inquiries on this principle. Its exist- 
ence has appeared evident to you, on account of several 
experiments that I made in their presence, and which you 
yourself witnessed. I have drawn a few summary propo- 
sitions to be submitted to the Academy, and I intrusted 
M. de Maillebois with a manuscript on the subject. Ac- 
cording to the wish that both of you had expressed, of my 
uniting to the proofs of its existence the evidence of the 
usefulness of my discovery, I have undertaken the treat- 
ment of several patients, whose previous condition has 
been certified by physicians of your Faculty, as it was 
agreed upon, and they consented to follow me at Creteil, 
where I have resided for the last four months. 

" ' Although I am ignorant as yet of the Academy's 
opinion on my propositions, I take this early opportunity 
of inviting them through your mediation, and yourself 
personally, to come and ascertain the success of Magnet- 
ism applied to the most desperate cases of disease. The 
treatment will be perfect at the end of this month. I flat- 
ter myself that you will be kind enough to answer my let- 
ter, and to let me know the day and hour when your dep- 
uties will come, in order that I maybe prepared to receive 
them. I am, with profound respect, yours, &c, 

" ' Mesmer.' " 

This long quotation was necessary to show in its true 
light the conduct of the Academy towards the novator ; all 
his sacrifices of self, fortune, rest, and comfort — all his 
concessions, troubles, and cares, availed him nothing; 
they did not even condescend to answer his letter ! 
24 



278 PSYCODUNAMY, 

His having failed in finding support in one of the scien- 
tific bodies of Paris, should perhaps have prevented Mes- 
mer from seeking the approval of any other ; but the con- 
sciousness of the importance of his pursuits prevailed over 
every other consideration. Discarding all pride, he again 
asked the Royal Society of Medicine of Paris to appoint a 
committee to investigate the matter. They consented to 
devote some time to an examination of his system, provi- 
ded they themselves were allowed to examine the patients 
previously to their treatment. 

This having been agreed upon, Mesmer presented Miss 
L*** to Messrs. Maudruit and Andry, deputed by the So- 
ciety to examine the patients. This young lady was sub- 
ject to epileptic fits, which succeeded each other so fre- 
quently that tw r o of them took place in the presence of the 
committee. Nevertheless, they declined to make any 
statement, on the ground that epilepsy may be feigned with 
such skill as to deceive even the best physician, and that 
the persons and medical men whose attestations were 
presented, might have done so by mere complaisance. 
Three subjects, one a paralytic, another blind, the third 
deaf, were rejected on the same ground. Mesmer, con- 
vinced at last that men who thus doubted their own 
ability of ascertaining the truth of a disease, would doubt 
still more when requested to pronounce on the restoration 
of health, thought it would be better to submit at once the 
certificates of physicians and the testimony of witnesses 
to the judgment of the whole Academy. He acted ac- 
cordingly, and received from M. Yicq d'Azyr, the secretary 
of the Royal Society of Medicine, the following letter in 
return : — 

" Paris, May 6th, 1778. 
" Sir, — The Royal Society of Medicine required from 
me, in their yesterday's meeting, to send you back the cer- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 279 

tificates which had been transmitted to them by you, un- 
der the same seal, which they have been careful not to 
have broken. The committee which had been appointed, 
according to your request, to follow your experiments, can- 
not and will not make any report without having them- 
selves made a thorough examination of the patients. Your 
letter states that you believe that certificates from other 
quarters may seem to us a sufficient evidence. But the 
company, as their only answer, send back these pieces, 
and request me to announce to you that they have dis- 
charged the committee they had granted at first. They 
feel that it is their duty to be very cautious before pro- 
nouncing on new assertions, and they will never consent 
to pass any judgment on facts that appear to them wrapped 
up in mystery, and where restrictions are imposed on the 
way in which they think proper to conduct their investiga- 
tion. They owe to themselves this circumspection, and 
they consider it a law from which they cannot depart. 
" Very respectfully, yours, 

" Vicq, d'Azyr." 

Any man less persevering than Mesmer, and less con- 
fident in his hopes of surmounting all obstacles, would 
have been satisfied, after such a letter, that it was useless 
to persist ; but he persisted, and wrote again as follows : 

" To M. Vicq, d'Azyr, Secretary of the Royal Society of Medicine. 

" Creteil, May 12th, 1778. 

" Sir, — My sole intention at all times has been to demon- 
strate the existence and usefulness of the principle on 
which I had the honor of speaking to the Royal Society 
of Medicine ; and I would have been the first in request- 
ing the examination of the committee, if the diseases of 
the patients, whose certificates were sent to the Academy, 
could have been ascertained in any other manner. Messrs, 



280 PSYCODUNAMY. 

Mauduit and Andry, members of the committee, thought, 
like me, when they rejected an epileptic, a paralytic, a blind 
and a deaf person, that there are cases in which apparent 
signs are not sufficient to enable us to state beyond doubt 
all the particulars of a disease. I have accordingly been 
compelled to choose, among all means, those which ap- 
peared to me most likely to meet the views and approval 
of the Royal Society, in requesting from the patients who 
consented to put their confidence in me, that they should 
furnish me with certificates from and attestations signed 
by physicians of the Faculty of Paris, in order to enable 
the Royal Society to judge the worth of my means so soon 
as time and circumstances would permit me to call for the 
examination of the results. 

" According to those reflections which I expect from 
your kindness that you will submit to the Society, I hope 
the committee will not refuse their examination in proper 
time, and that the Society will confer on me the same fa- 
vors as they did during my stay at Paris. I will always 
be ready to defer to the superiority of their knowledge, 
and request you to present them with the sincere expres- 
sions of my highest regard. 

" Very respectfully, yours, 

"Mesmer." 

Every one will confess that moderation and respect are 
the characteristics of this answer. The two following 
letters will show the result. 

" To M. Vicq d'Azyr, Secretary of the Royal Society of Medicine 
of Paris. 

" Creteil, August 20th, 1778. 
" Sir, — Confident that the members of your learned So- 
ciety have received, through your mediation, my commu- 
nication of the 12th of last May, I take this early oppor- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 281 

tunity to invite your committee to come and examine for 
themselves the results of my treatment. I will feel par- 
ticularly indebted to you, if you deign to let me know the 
day and hour they will choose, so as to find me ready to 
receive them with due regard. 

"Very respectfully, yours, 

" Mesmer." 

" To Mr. Mesmer. 

"Paris, August Ttth, 1778. 
" I have submitted to the Society your letter of the 20th 
instant. This body, who have not taken cognizance of 
the cases treated by you, cannot give an opinion on the 
matter. 

"Very respectfully, etc., 

" Vicq d'Azyr." 

This put an end to the attempt of Mesmer to secure the 
good-will of the Royal Society of Medicine. However, 
if the committee had consented to visit his establishment 
at Creteil, they would have ascertained that positive cures 
had been performed on persons whose veracity, high stand- 
ing, and character could not be questioned ; such were 
those of M. le Chevalier du Haussay, Madame de Berny, 
and Madame de la Malmaison. I will quote them, and let 
my readers judge for themselves. 

This is M. du Haussay's own statement : — 

" Justice demands that I should give to the public the 
particulars of my disease, and of the effects produced on 
me by the proceedings of Dr. Mesmer. 

" On the night of the 24th of December, 1757, I was 

with the rest of the army in the encampment before the 

town of Zell, in Hanover ; fatigue and want of rest for 

several days overcame me, and I slept on the snow, during 

24* 



282 PSYCODUNAMY. 

an exceedingly cold night. When the drum beat to arms, 
two grenadiers raised me up, for at first I was unable to 
move, much less to stand on my feet. But soon the ex- 
citement of the action, and the natural energy of health 
and youth, overcame the consequences of my imprudence. 
The war ended without much perceptible injury to my 
system, but two years after the peace was concluded I 
experienced a very severe disease in the chest, which the 
constant use of milk succeeded in removing. 

" Some time after, a kind of humor appeared on my 
face ; it rapidly increased and covered the whole front, 
the eyes, the nose, and the cheeks. Physicians tried 
uselessly to remedy this disorder. I perceived that it not 
only grew worse, but my legs began to refuse me their 
support. However, I went in 1772 to Martinique, where 
the typhus fever reduced me to the last extremity. It 
ended in a general paralysis, which compelled me to go 
back to France, in hope of finding there some relief from 
my infirmities. After 'four years of useless experiments 
and the constant attendance of eminent physicians, among 
whom I can name several members of the Royal Society 
of Medicine of Paris, who personally know me and my 
case, I consented, as a last resort, to accept the proposi- 
tion of Dr. Mesmer to try the proceedings of a method 
heretofore unknown. When I arrived at his establish- 
ment, my head was constantly shaking — my neck was bent 
forward — my eyes were protruding from their sockets and 
greatly inflamed — my tongue was paralyzed, and it was 
with the utmost difficulty that I could speak — a perpetual 
and involuntary laugh distorted my mouth — my cheeks and 
nose were of a red purple — my respiration was very much 
embarrassed, and I suffered a constant pain between my 
shoulders ; all my body trembled, and my legs tottered 
most awkwardly. In a word, my gait was that of an old 
drunkard, rather than that of a man of forty. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 283 

" I know nothing about the nature of the means resorted 
to by Dr. Mesmer ; but that which I can say with the 
greatest truth, is, that without using any kind of drugs, or 
other remedy than ' Animal Magnetism? as he styles it, 
he made me feel the most extraordinary sensations from 
head to foot. I experienced a crisis characterized by a 
cold so intense that it seemed to me that ice was coming 
out from my limbs ; this was followed by a great heat, and 
a perspiration of a very fetid nature, and so abundant at 
times as to cause my mattresses to be wet through. This 
crisis lasted over a month : since that time I have rapidly 
recovered, and now, after about four months, I stand erect 
and easy — my head is firm and upright — my tongue moves 
very well, and I speak as plainly as anybody — my nose, 
eyes, and cheeks are natural — my color announces my 
age and good health — my respiration is free — my chest has 
expanded — I feel no pain whatever — my limbs are steady 
and vigorous — I walk very quick, without any care, and 
with ease — my digestion and appetite are excellent — in a 
word, I am perfectly free from all infirmities. 

" I certify that this statement is in every particular con- 
formable to truth. Given under my hand and seal, at 
Paris, the 28th of August, 1778. 

(Signed,) 

"Ch. du Haussay, 
" Major of infantry, and Knight of the royal and 

military order of St. Louis." 

The following is the narrative of Madame de Berny, as 
given by herself : — 

" Madame de Berny, fifty-five years of age, while at 
Bareges, in July, 1776, suddenly lost her sight, as if a 
cloud had spread itself between the external world and 
herself. She went to the city of Auch, where the cloud 



284 PSYCODUNAMY. 

appeared to grow darker, and where the physicians resort- 
ed to bleeding, purging, fumigating, bathing, &c, to no 
purpose. 

" She returned to Paris towards the end of the ensuing 
August, and consulted four celebrated physicians, who 
prescribed successively the use of the vapor of karabe, 
of coffee, blisters, ipecac, and Vichy waters. The disease 
still grew worse. In April, 1778, she was totally blind — 
she felt a constant fatigue and weakness of her limbs — her 
sleep was very often broken by violent headaches — her ears 
were dry, and experienced a constant buzzing — no percep- 
tible perspiration in any circumstances — a permanent and 
painful costivenessof the bowels — a frequent and distressing 
spasmodic contraction of the throat and stomach, which 
would several times during the day cause violent vomiting 
— extreme emaciation, and lowness of spirits. 

" Such was her situation when she consulted Mr. Mes- 
mer, who thought that the general disorder was the conse- 
quence of some obstruction in the organs of the abdomen, 
which obstruction he considered as susceptible of being 
removed. 

" This opinion was also expressed by Dr. Petit, mem- 
ber of the Royal Society of Medicine, who, as far as two 
years previous, had detected the principle of this obstruc- 
tion. Madame de Berny accordingly went to Creteil to 
try the method of Dr. Mesmer. 

" This account of my situation, which I declare true and 
faithfully drawn, will show what benefit I derived from the 
attendance of Mr. Mesmer. From the 28th of April to 
the present day, I have made use of no remedy of any 
kind, but the application of the new principle of ' Animal 
Magnetism.'' My eyes are so well, that not only am I able 
to go alone everywhere, and perceive objects near or re- 
mote, but I read and write without any trouble or difficulty. 
Sleep and appetite are restored. I feel no pain whatever. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 285 

I walk with ease and without fatigue — my bowels are free 
and regular — my ears are natural, and without buzzing — - 
the spasms of the throat and stomach have disappeared — 
the obstructions are gone, and my flow of spirits is re- 
markably good. 

" A proper sense of justice and gratitude has prompted, 
this certificate, without, on that account, having induced 
me to depart in the slightest degree from the simple and 
naked truth. 

" Given under my hand and seal, at Creteil, the 28th 
day of August, 1778. 

(Signed) " C. Menjot de Berny." 

The disease of Madame de la Malmaison was described 
by herself as follows : 

" I am thirty-eight years of age. My health, till I was 
married, was very good. But several miscarriages began 
to impair it. I experienced frequent vomiting and swoons ; 
aversion to food, headaches, fits of violent cough, and ex- 
pectoration of blood. My legs refused to me, after a while, 
their natural support; and till 1777, I had uselessly tried 
to alleviate my sufferings. At that time, a fall from a car- 
riage tore my legs so dreadfully as to leave the tendons 
open ; the spells of vomiting increased violently — my legs 
grew thinner, exceedingly cold, contracted, and a com- 
plete paralysis extended itself as far as the hips. 

" M. Leroi, the President of the Academy of Sciences, 
attended me, and succeeded to a certain degree in allevi- 
ating the trouble of my stomach, but the paralysis re- 
mained unaltered, and my nervous spasms did not diminish. 

" Such was my situation when I accepted the attend- 
ance of Dr. Mesmer. From the first of May till the pres- 
ent day, I have remained in his establishment at Creteil ; 
and without having used any other remedy than ' Animal 



:i 



286 PSYCODUNAMY. 

Magnetism, 1 my health has been completely restored. I 
enjoy the ability of walking without any support, and of 
mounting and descending the stairs with great ease ; my 
legs are as fleshy as before the beginning of my disease, 
and my spasms* have entirely left me. 

" Given under my hand, at Creteil, the 30th of August, 
1778. 

(Signed) 
" Douet de Vichy, Countess de la Malmaison." 

Facts so positive and evident as the foregoing need no 
comment. Mesmer, in proving by them the reality and 
excellence of his method, was, at the same time, over- 
throwing the old practice, which, in spite of its insuffi- 
ciency, was looked upon with reverence and respect; He 
had demonstrated that a new field was open in the most 
important science, the art of healing ; he had created phe- 
nomena unknown to the learned, and which were destined 
to show the emptiness of many of their scientific explana- 
tions. This was too much, not to draw upon him the 
combined hatred and persecution of the physicians and 
philosophers of his age. It was in consequence of these 
achievements that he was publicly pronounced by them an 
impostor and a charlatan ! 

Nevertheless, he had gained the friendship of some 
eminent men, and particularly of M. d'Eslon, member of 
the Royal Society of Medicine, and Dr. Regent, of the 
Faculty of Paris, and first physician of the Count d'Artois, 
brother of the king of France. The interest that Dr. 
d'Eslon showed for Mesmer ; the constancy with which 
he supported Magnetism whenever it was attacked in his 
presence ; the courage he exhibited in speaking in favor 
of it before the assembly of the members of the Faculty ; 
and lastly, his earnest entreaties to Mesmer to submit his 
discovery to the latter body, induced the Novator to make 



GENERAL HISTORY. 287 

another effort to obtain the approval of men whom experi- 
ence should have warned him to avoid. Accordingly, on 
the 30th of March, 1779, he wrote to Dr. d'Eslon the fol- 
lowing letter : 

" Dear Sir — You appeared, after having read the man- 
uscript which I communicated to you, to wish to know 
what would be my subsequent intentions. I will briefly 
explain them in this letter. 

" I will publish this manuscript in Paris, and all places 
where error and prejudice may have worked against my 
doctrine and myself ; but before I take this step, I wish 
to present it in particular to the Faculty of Paris, as a to- 
ken of respect. The learned members who compose your 
society will readily perceive that my principles have 
nothing in common with ordinary specifics and the pro- 
ductions of quackery ; and if' they are as anxious to see 
the developments of my theory as you appeared to be 
yourself, and to propagate it, I will wait with deference 
till they consent to point out to me the means of securing 
this important result, and shall show them my readiness 
to promote their views. 

" Very respectfully, yours, 

"Mesmer." 

Here is a translation of the manuscript of Mesmer : — - 

" It is natural in man to make observations ; from his 
infancy, his constant occupation is to observe, in order to 
make a proper use of his organs. The eye, for instance, 
would prove useless, if nature had not directed man to no- 
tice the different appearances in the objects which it re- 
veals. It is through the alternate effects caused by its 
enjoyment and privation, that he knows light and dark- 
ness, and appreciates the gradations of colors and shade ; 
yet he would remain in ignorance as to the distance, size 



288 PSYCODUNAMY. 

and form of objects in general, if by comparing and com- 
bining the impressions perceived through other organs, he 
should not, learn how to rectify the one by the other. Ac- 
cordingly, the sensations of man are the result of his hav- 
ing observed and reflected on the impressions made upon 
his organs. 

" Thus our first years pass away in acquiring the just 
and prompt use of our senses. Our disposition to observe, 
enables us to improve ourselves ; and perfection in our 
faculties is the consequence of their constant application. 

" In the infinite number of objects which present them- 
selves successively to us, our attention is particularly at- 
tracted by those which make the most vivid impression 
on the senses. 

" Observation of natural effects, universally produced, 
and perceived by everybody, is not the business alone 
of philosophers. Personal interest makes good observers 
in all classes of society ; these observations, multiplied 
and collected at all times and in all countries by every- 
body, leave in our minds no more, perhaps less, doubt of 
their truth, than when made by philosophers only ; for 
the activity of their minds, and their thirst for knowledge, 
are never satisfied. In their endeavors to perfect their 
acquirements, they abandon observation, and replace it by 
speculations vague and at times frivolous ; they form and 
accumulate systems, the sole merit of which lies in their 
mysterious abstraction ; they gradually abandon truth, lose 
sight of it, and substitute for its pure light, the tinsel of 
ignorance and superstition.* 

" Human sciences, when thus adulterated, preserve noth 
ing of the reality which characterized their origin. 



* Is it not strange that Mesmer, immediately after having made so 
sensible a remark, should himself lose sight of observation and truth, to 
substitute for them a mysterious theory ? 



GENERAL HISTORY. 289 

" Philosophy has sometimes labored to disengage itself 
from error and prejudices ; but in pulling down scientific 
edifices, she has devoted the ruins to contempt and obliv- 
ion, without stopping to save from the wreck the primitive 
and valuable truth. 

" We find among all nations opinions which present 
themselves to-day under a form so little beneficial and 
honorable to mankind, that it is not probable that they 
have preserved their original features. 

" Imposture on one hand, and ignorance on the other, 
are insufficient to account for the unanimous adoption of 
systems so evidently absurd and ridiculous as some of 
those which we notice at the present time. Truth alone, 
and general interest, must have secured their universality. 

" According to the foregoing considerations, I made a 
particular study of the old doctrine of Astrology ; and I 
published in 1766, at Vienna, a dissertation on the influence 
of the planets on the human body. Conformably to the 
principles of universal attraction, which show how planets 
act upon each other in their orbits, and how the sun and 
moon cause and direct on our globe the ebbing and flow- 
ing of the tide, and influence the atmosphere, I demon- 
strated that they exert also a direct action on all the parts 
of animated bodies, and particularly on the nervous sys- 
tem, through a fluid which pervades the whole universe. 

" I explained this action by the intention and the remis- 
sion of the general properties of matter and organic bodies, 
such as gravity, cohesion, affinity, elasticity, porosity, and 
electricity. 

" I remarked that in the same manner as alternate ef- 
fects of gravity produce in the ocean the phenomena of 
the tide, intention and remission of the aforesaid proper- 
ties are subjected to the action of the same principle, and 
occasion, in like manner, alternate effects in animals. In 
consequence of these considerations, I designated as 
25 



290 PSYCODU^AMY. 

1 Animal Magnetism? the fluid that emanates from the ce- 
lestial spheres, and which affects animated bodies ; and 
by this ' Magnetism? I accounted for the periodical revolu- 
tions observable in females, and all those that physicians 
of all ages and countries have noticed in diseases. 

" My object was only to call the attention of physicians 
to the subject ; but instead of having succeeded, I was 
considered as a man who covets singularity — a systematic 
man, who affected to scorn the trodden path of ordinary 
medicine. 

" I never dissembled my conviction that we have not 
made, in the art of healing, the progress that physicians 
boast of ; and any candid observer will confess that the 
more we advance in the knowledge of the machinery and 
economy of the human system, the more we are compelled 
to acknowledge how inadequate and unsuitable are the or- 
dinary medical resources. The last discoveries made on 
the nature and particular action of the nerves, remove all 
doubts on that point. We know they are the agents of 
sensations and motions, yet we do not know how to re- 
store their natural functions, when they are destroyed or 
perverted. The ignorance of preceding ages may be ad- 
mitted as an excuse for physicians of days gone by, but 
we can no longer entertain the superstitious confidence 
they themselves possessed, which rendered them des- 
potic and presumptuous by inspiring the public mind with 
equal confidence in their formulas. 

" I have too high a regard for Nature, to believe that 
the preservation of man depends only on the uncertain 
virtue of drugs which vague observations and chance alone 
have caused to be admitted in the ' Materia medica, 1 and to 
become there the exclusive patrimony of a (ew individuals. 

" Nature has abundantly provided for the means of ex- 
istence. Reproduction is effected without system or art ; 
why should our preservation be deprived of the same ad- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 291 

vantage ? Do we find among inferior animals any neces- 
sity for drugs ? 

" A needle which is not magnetic will not, if set in mo- 
tion, take a constant direction, while the magnetic needle, 
after oscillating for a while, will resume its former place. 
Thus, whenever the harmony of animated bodies is dis- 
turbed, chance alone will answer for the consequences, 
unless it is restored and determined by the general agent, 
the existence of which I have admitted. That agent alone 
can account for the preservation of harmony, as well as 
for its re-establishment. This accounts for the fact that 
diseases grow worse or are cured with or without the use 
of drugs, and independently of different medical theories 
and the most opposite methods of treatment. From these 
considerations it follows as an axiom, ' that there exists in 
nature a universally acting principle, which alone and by 
its own virtue effects that which is indiscriminately refer- 
red to medical science.' 

" These reflections caused me to leave the beaten path. 
I have submitted my ideas to the test of twelve years' de- 
votion to experiments conducted with the utmost diffidence 
and prudence ; and I have at last obtained the satisfaction 
of establishing the truth of my principles, which at first I 
had but conjectured. 

" My successive attempts to establish their reality and 
importance have failed heretofore ; but I am determined to 
make another effort to give to my assertions an extent and 
evidence in which formerly they were, perhaps, deficient. 



Propositions. 

1. " There exists a natural influence between celestial 
bodies, the earth, and living beings. 

2. " A fluid universally diffused and filling every void, 



292 PSYCODUNAMY. 

rare beyond all comparison, and in its nature fitted to re- 
ceive, propagate, and communicate, all the impulses of 
motion, is the medium of that influence. 

3. " This reciprocal action is obedient to certain me- 
chanical laws, at present unknown. 

4. " There result from this action certain alternate ef- 
fects, which may be considered as a flux and reflux. 

5. " This flux and reflux are more or less general, more 
or less particular, more or less compound, according to the 
nature of the causes which determine them. 

6. "It is by this operation (the most universal that we 
see in nature) that the celestial bodies, the earth, and their 
constituent parts, mutually affect each other. 

7. " The properties of matter and of organized bodies 
depend upon this operation. 

8. " The animal body experiences the alternate effects 
of this agent, and it is by insinuating itself into the sub- 
stance of the nerves that it immediately affects them. 

9. " There are manifested, particularly in the human 
body, certain properties analogous to those of the magnet ; 
there may be distinguished certain poles, equally different 
and opposite, which may be connected together, destroyed, 
and reinforced. The phenomenon of inclination is to be 
observed. 

10. " That property of the animal body which renders 
it susceptible of the influence of celestial bodies, and of a 
reciprocal action with those which surround it, manifesting 
its analogy to the magnet, was the reason for naming it 
Animal Magnetism. 

11. "The action and the virtue of Animal Magnetism 
thus characterized, may be communicated to other animate 
and inanimate bodies ; the one and the other, however, 
being more or less susceptible. 

12. " This action and this virtue can be reinforced and 
propagated by the same body. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 293 

13. " We observe, by experience, the efflux of a matter, 
of which the subtilty penetrates all bodies, apparently 
without loss of its activity. 

14. " Its action extends to a great distance, without as- 
sistance from any intermediate object. 

15. " It is augmented and reflected by mirrors, like 
light. 

16. "It is communicated, propagated, and augmented 
by sound. 

17. " This magnetic virtue can be accumulated, con- 
centrated, and transported. 

18. " Animated bodies are not equally susceptible ; and 
there are some, though rare, which have a property so op- 
posite, that their presence destroys all the effects of Mag- 
netism in other bodies. 

19. " This opposite virtue likewise penetrates all bodies ; 
it can equally be communicated, propagated, accumulated, 
concentrated, transported, reflected by mirrors, and propa- 
gated by sound. This constitutes not merely a negative, 
but a positive and opposite power. 

20. " The magnet, whether natural or artificial, is like- 
wise, with other bodies, susceptible of Animal Magnetism, 
and also of the opposite power ; without, in either case, 
undergoing any alteration in its action upon iron or the 
needle ; which proves that the principle of Animal, is es- 
sentially different from that of Mineral Magnetism. 

21. " This system will furnish new elucidations of the 
nature of fire and of light, of the theory of attraction, of 
the flux and reflux of the magnet, and of electricity. 

22. " It will explain that the magnet and electricity 
only have, with respect to disease, properties common to 
many other agents in nature, and if some useful effects 
have resulted from their employment, these are due to 
Animal Magnetism. 

23. " We see from facts that this principle, employed 

25* 



294 PSYCODUNAMY. 

according to certain established practical rules, can cure 
diseases of the nerves immediately, and others mediately. 

24. " With its aid the physician is enlightened as to the 
use of remedies ; he assists their action, and excites and 
directs salutary crises, so as to render them subject to his 
command. 

25. " In communicating my method, I will show, by a" 
new theory of diseases, the universal utility of the princi- 
ple which I oppose to them. 

26. " With this knowledge, the physician will judge 
with certainty as to the origin, the nature, and the progress 
of diseases, even the most complicated ; he will prevent 
their increase, and arrive at a cure without ever exposing 
the patient to dangerous or disagreeable consequences ; 
such as occur from age, temperament, and sex. Females, 
even when pregnant, and at the time of delivery, will enjoy 
the same advantages. 

27. " Finally, this doctrine places the physician in a 
state to judge correctly of the degree of health of each in- 
dividual, and to preserve him from the diseases to which 
he may be exposed ; the art of healing will thus arrive at 
its utmost perfection. 

" Although my constant observation during twelve years 
gives me the assurance that all these twenty-seven propo- 
sitions are correct in every particular, I easily conceive 
that my system will at first appear more like illusion than 
reality ; for it opposes admitted principles, and rejects, as 
useless, notions considered as highly important. But I 
beg enlightened persons to set aside for awhile all preju- 
dices, and to defer their judgment till circumstances shall 
permit me to give to my principles the evidence of which 
they are susceptible. The consideration of the number 
of men who languish in distress, from the sole insufficien- 
cy of the common remedies, is calculated to inspire the 
desire and hope that some better means may be found. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 295 

" Physicians, as natural trustees of public confidence 
for those things which are most conducive to the preser- 
vation and happiness of mankind, are alone capable of 
fully appreciating the importance of my discovery and fore- 
seeing all its consequences, as they alone can practise it. 

" If this short summary still presents some difficulties or 
obscurities, it will be easily understood that they are of a 
nature not to be removed by mere arguments, but by expe- 
rience alone. Experience will cause all clouds to disap- 
pear, and surround with clear light this important truth — 
That Nature offers a sure and universal remedy for the 
physical sufferings of mankind." 

Such are the celebrated propositions of Mesmer. By 
comparing them with the extracts that I have quoted from 
Paracelsus, Van Helmont, Wirdig, and Maxwell, my read- 
ers will ascertain that his theory was not a new one. It 
is merely a compound of the ideas of those writers, and 
of which he gave only a more full development. 

However, to resume our historical sketch : of the many 
physicians invited by Dr. d'Eslon, only three members of 
the Faculty of Paris consented to follow the experiments 
of Mesmer. They were Messrs. Bertrand, Malloet, and 
Sollier de la Rominais. 

The first subject presented to them was a paralytic, 
who had lost, besides the power of motion, all appreciable 
heat and sensibility of the inferior limbs. After eight days' 
treatment, natural heat and sensibility, but only imperfect 
motion, were already obtained. — The production of heat and 
sensibility, so long as motion remains imperfect, cannot be 
called a cure — was the scientific verdict of the candid ob- 
servers ; and because circumstances independent of the 
will of Mesmer, prevented him from showing what would 
have been the ultimate result, if the experiment had been 
protracted during a longer period, they declared that this 
first trial proved nothing in favor of his method. 



296 PSYCODUNAMY 

The second subject was another paralytic, who had lost 
entirely the use of his right side. He was brought to 
Mesmer upon a handbarrow, on the 20th of January, and 
on the 20th of the ensuing March he was able to walk 
about and use his hand without help, although there still 
remained some comparatively trifling difficulty. This case 
made considerable impression on the public, but none on 
Messrs. Bertrand, Malloet, and Sollier, who would not 
change their verdict ; — they confessed, nevertheless, that 
the progress in the motion of the hand was particularly 
remarkable ; — but, so far, the results obtained could not be 
called a perfect cure. 

The third subject was a young lady, who had lost her 
sight in consequence of an obstruction in the glands of the 
breast having suddenly disappeared. After six weeks' 
treatment the sight and general health were completely 
restored. — It was admitted that she could see perfectly ; — 
but, at the same time, the observers declared that they were 
not satisfied about her having lost her sight at all, alleging 
that her blindness was, perhaps, only feigned. 

A fourth patient was an officer in the French army, 
who was afflicted with constipation of very long standing, 
and which had resisted all known remedies. It had 
plunged him into a melancholy so deplorable, that for a 
year previous the thought of suicide had haunted his mind. 
In a month his cure was perfected ; the bowels had be- 
come very regular, and the natural gayety of the officer 
had replaced his habitual dejection. — It was true that a 
real change in the digestive functions and in the spirits 
had taken place ; — -but why should the treatment of Mesmer 
reap the honor of the cure, since, very often, nature alone 
produces similar results ? 

A fifth case was a young lady, whose scrofulous dis- 
position was evident — obstruction of the glands — the sight 
of one eye completely lost — ulcerations on the other eye — 



GENERAL HISTORY. 297 

and continual discharge of purulent matter from the eye- 
lids. After two months the sight of both eyes was re- 
stored, and no scrofulous symptoms could any longer be 
detected. — The cure was evident. — But where is the proof 
that is was due to Animal Magnetism ? Does not experi- 
ence demonstrate that at the age of this young lady, na- 
ture alone has in some instances restored health without 
the aid of any remedies whatever 1 

A sixth case was one of deafness. The patient had 
been dismissed from the military service on account of his 
infirmity. After three months he could hear as well as 
anybody. — That the patient could hear, no one would de- 
ny ; — but that he was deaf previously, they had no evidence. 
For it is certain, that to be dismissed from the military 
service, many persons have successfully feigned deafness ; 
and, perhaps, such was the case with the latter patient. 

I could relate many more facts, but these are suf- 
ficient to show the intention of the observers. At last, 
after seven months of unremitted exertions, and of constant 
and wonderful success, on the part of Mesmer, the exam- 
iners came to the following conclusion : " It is very diffi- 
cult in all cases, if not impossible, to pronounce whether 
a cure is the result of art or of nature alone. According- 
ly, we would prefer to see experiments made without any 
previous preparation, in order to establish that Magnetism 
produces undeniable and immediate effects." His inde- 
fatigable perseverance induced Mesmer not to abandon the 
field ; and in order to secure his triumph, in spite of every 
obstacle, he agreed that Messrs. Bertrand, Malloet, and 
Sollier, should themselves select some patients, and bring 
them to him, to be submitted to the magnetic treatment. 
On the appointed day, the three examiners were punctual ; 
but they declared that they had been unable to find such 
patients as they wished, so Mesmer experimented that day 
on those only that Dr. d'Eslon had brought with him. 



298 PSYCGDUNAMY. 

This is the narrative of the sitting, as related by Mes- 
mer himself: 

" 1st Experiment. — The subject was the Baron d'Ande- 
lau, colonel of the regiment of Nassau-Sarbruck ; his dis- 
ease, asthma. 

" I said I would not touch the patient, in order to show 
that immediate touching was not necessary to produce ef- 
fects. At a distance of four or five steps, I directed to- 
wards the chest the rod of iron that I held in my hand. 
The faculty of breathing was soon suspended, and he 
would have fainted if I had not, at his own request, 
stopped my action. He declared that he felt so distinctly 
the different currents that. I caused in him, that he could 
with his eyes closed tell the direction of my rod. The 
experiment took place, and he described in the most cor- 
rect maimer all my motions. 

" 2d Experiment. The subject was M. Verdun, attorney, 
living in Richelieu-street, near the Palais Royal ; his dis- 
ease, neuralgia. 

" The directing my rod of iron towards him, caused him 
to tremble violently ; the face was red ; the suffocation 
grew imminent ; the perspiration became profuse ; he 
fainted, and fell senseless on a sofa. 

" 3d Experiment. The subject was Miss de Belancourt 
de Beauvais, twenty-two years of age ; her disease, paral- 
ysis. 

" I directed my rod towards the head ; the pain caused 
by it was sudden and violent. I gave her some respite. 
I offered to give evidence that the seat of the disease was 
not in the head, but in both sides ; and accordingly I di- 
rected the rod to the right. The pain was more violent 
and more instantaneous than on the first trial. I let the 
patient alone for awhile, in order to calm her ; but as I 
had the conviction that the left side and the spleen itself 
was the place most affected, I remarked, before making 



GENERAL HISTORY. 299 

the experiment, that a difference in the results would this 
time be perceptible. As soon as the point of my rod was 
directed to the left side, Miss Belancourt staggered and 
fell in a fit of violent convulsions. I had her removed, 
and devoted my attention to restore her, without protract- 
ing experiments which my readers, perhaps, will consider 
as already too barbarous. 

" 4th Experiment. The subject of it was M. de Crussol, 
who had come only as a spectator, and who, during the 
interval of the first and second trial on Miss Belancourt, 
asked me if I thought I could affect him. I inquired of 
him if he had any disease. He answered, ' Yes ; but I 
would prefer to leave you in ignorance of what it is, in 
order to know if you could cause a return of the parox- 
ysm.' I consented. 

" I directed the iron towards his side, and caused there 
a heat so considerable, that he requested several persons 
to try if it could not be felt. When I pointed my rod to- 
wards his head, he exclaimed that what he experienced was 
the exact nervous pain to which he was subject. He was 
very uneasy, being fearful lest the paroxysm I had caused 
should last fifteen days as usual, and he again anxiously 
asked me if I could remove the mischief I had occasioned. 
I answered affirmatively, and in a few minutes my success 
was complete." 

The suddenness and violence of the effects produced, 
were evident enough to convince the most skeptical of the 
power that Mesmer possessed. But, incredible as it may 
appear, Messrs. Bertrand, Malloet, and Sollier, said only 
that the facts were certainly astonishing, but not con- 
clusive. 

It was at this period that Dr. d'Eslon published his 
*' Observations on Magnetism" (July, 1780,) in which he 
comes openly forward in its favor, and relates very accu- 
rately the facts on which his entire conviction was found- 



300 PSYCODUNAMY. 

ed. He did not stop there ; on the 18th of September, in 
the same year, he caused a general meeting of the mem- 
bers of the Faculty to be held expressly for the reading 
and discussion of the " Propositions of Mesmer" He read 
them, and concluded by asking authority to make, in the 
public hospitals, comparative experiments on twenty-four 
patients ; one half of the number to be treated by Magnet- 
ism, the other by ordinary medicine. 

A general and contemptuous laugh, and expressions of 
undisguised indignation, was the only reception that Dr. 
d'Eslon's proposition met with. M. de Vauzesmes, a very 
young doctor, made himself particularly conspicuous by 
the violence of his attack against the friend of Mesmer. 
The Dean of the Faculty pronounced the following and 
immediate decision of the assembly : — 

" 1st. Injunction, requiring M. d'Eslon to be, in future, 
more circumspect. 

" 2d. Suspension, during one year, of the right of voting 
in the assembly of the members of the Medical Faculty. 

"3d. Erasement from the list of the members of the 
Faculty, if after one year he has not made a public dis- 
avowal of his work, ' Observations on Magnetism.' 

"4th. Rejection, in full, of the Propositions of M. 
Mesmer." 

Mesmer, unprepared for such an event, despairing a? 
length, resolved to quit France, after he should have com- 
pleted the cure of some patients whom, without inhuman- 
ity, he could not abandon. This news spread through 
Paris, and even reached the ears of the royal family. The 
queen, whose opinion was in favor of the Novator, made 
some efforts to determine him to remain. On the 28th of 
March, 1781, M. de Maurepas, prime minister, was com- 
missioned to offer to Mesmer, in the name of the govern- 
ment, an annual pension of twenty thousand francs, and 
another annual sura of ten thousand for the rent of a suit-: 



GENERAL HISTORY. 301 

able residence, where he should, as the only condition for 
so great a favor, admit a limited number of patients, when 
officially requested, and form pupils for the propagation of 
his doctrine. 

If Mesmer's only purpose had been that of filling his 
own coffers, as his enemies pretended, assuredly he had a 
rare and excellent opportunity of doing so by accepting 
this splendid offer. But he refused, positively refused, 
and on the following day, 29th of March, he wrote to the 
queen of France a letter, in which, among his respectful 
expressions of devotion and heartfelt gratitude for the fa- 
vors intended him, he states the true motives of his refu- 
sal : " My intentions," says he, " when I came to France, 
were not to make my fortune, but to secure for my discov- 
ery the unqualified approval of the most scientific men of 
this age. And I will accept of no reward, so long as I 
have not obtained this approval ; for fame, and the glory 
of having discovered the most important truth for the bene- 
fit of humanity, are to me much dearer than riches." 

A short time after, Mesmer left Paris and went to Spa, 
where some patients of distinction, whose cure was not 
yet perfected, followed the Novator. However, the an- 
tagonists of his principles inveighed against the new doc- 
trine with more animosity than ever. The discussion be- 
tween Dr. d'Eslon and the Faculty went on with the same 
violence till the month of August, 1782. He had been 
condemned to lose the title and prerogatives of Dr. Re- 
gent ; but this sentence, in order to be valid, required to be 
confirmed by three successive meetings of the assembly. 
After long delay the third meeting took place, and not only 
did Dr. d'Eslon not retract, but he declared that as he had 
performed the most evident and remarkable cures by Mag- 
netism, he insisted more earnestly than ever for a fair and 
impartial examination of the facts ; and that accordingly 
he had taken the necessary steps to induce the proper 

26 



302 PSYCODUNAMY. 

authority to compel them to investigate the matter. The 
power of Dr. d'EsIon, as physician to the brother of the 
king, and the avowed protection of the queen, awed some 
of the members, who retired without confirming the sen- 
tence against Dr. d'Eslon. 

Mesmer was still at Spa ; he heard there the news that 
the king was to appoint, by his own authority, a committee 
of scientific men to examine and report to him on the mat- 
ter of Animal Magnetism as practised by Dr. d'Eslon. He 
exclaimed, that all its bright prospects were hereafter lost 
for him ; that his disciple, by imprudence and ignorance, 
would certainly injure the discovery he alone knew how to 
demonstrate ; that he never had revealed the most impor- 
tant part of it ; that he was a ruined man, etc. This in- 
cident, which might in fact have proved very injurious to 
him, was, on the contrary, the very cause of his fortune. 

The celebrated attorney, Bergasse, who was one of his 
patients, according to the suggestion of Kornmann, the 
banker, suggested, in 1783, the plan of a subscription, by 
which at least a hundred persons were each of them to pay 
a hundred louis, in order to secure the independence of 
Mesmer and enable him to publish his doctrine. This 
subscription found so much sympathy in the highest so- 
ciety, that in the space of three months Mesmer received 
over 340,000 francs. 

However, it was not before the 12th of March, 1781, 
that the king appointed a committee, composed of mem- 
bers of the Medical Faculty of Paris, the Academy of 
Sciences, and the Royal Society of Medicine, to investi- 
gate the matter. 

Mesmer came back to Paris, and endeavored to induce 
the committee appointed by the king to witness his own 
experiments, instead of those of Dr. d'Eslon ; his efforts, 
however, proved unavailing. 

It is so much more to be regretted that the commitieo 



GENERAL HISTORY. 303 

did not go to Mesmer, as by doing so they would not only 
have avoided the just imputation brought against them, of 
having been guilty of a flagrant injustice towards him, 
but also because there is good ground to believe that the 
experiments made by him would have proved much more 
satisfactory. In fact, he not only knew better the means 
of operating, but he also possessed certain intuitive fac- 
ulties which long practice alone develop in good du- 
namisers. He perceived, or rather internally felt, who 
were the persons more likely to be affected ; and in seve- 
ral instances he foretold to his patients what they would 
experience during their treatment, the kind of crisis that 
would take place, and when their health would be fully 
restored. Moreover, his psycodunamic power was much 
more remarkable than that of Dr. d'Eslon. To show its 
extent, I will relate here what the celebrated Thouret, 
his antagonist, but candid in his opposition, says himself 
in his work entitled Researches and Doubts on Magnetism. 

" When Mr. Mesmer touches a patient for the first time, 
he lays his hand on the most important points where the 
nerves unite. In general, the patient experiences a kind 
of electric commotion. After which the operator recedes, 
and extending his finger, he conceives between himself 
and his subject a kind of fluid by which the established 
communication is preserved. 

" The influence of Mr. Mesmer lasts several days ; and 
during that time, if the person is susceptible, he can pro- 
duce, at will, perceptible effects on him, not only without 
resorting again to touch, but at a considerable distance, 
and even through a wall. 

" One day Mr. Mesmer being with Messrs. de Camp*** 
and d'E***, near the great basin of Meudon, proposed to 
them to pass alternately to the other side of the basin, 
while he would himself remain at his place ; he told them 
then to plunge the end of their canes into the water, he 



304 PSYCODUNAMY. 

also doing so with his own. At that distance M. de 
Camp*** experienced an attack of asthma, and M. d'E*** 
felt in his liver the pain to which he was subject. Other 
persons tried the same experiment, and some of them were 
so violently affected as to faint in a very short time. 

" Another day, as Mr. Mesmer was walking in a wood 
of a country-seat near Orleans, two young ladies, taking 
advantage of the freedom that a country life authorizes, ran 
merrily after Mesmer in the presence of a large company. 
Mesmer feigned at first to fly, but stopping suddenly, and 
turning round, he presented the butt-end of his cane to his 
pursuers, and forbade them to advance ; their knees, trem- 
bling, refused to support them, and they could not move 
until he told them to do so. 

" One evening Mr. Mesmer went down with six persons 
into the garden of the Prince of Soubise, where he ope- 
rated upon a tree. A short time after, the Marchioness of 
N***, Miss de R***, and Miss D*** fainted. The Duch- 
ess of C*** took hold of the tree without being able to 
leave it. The Count of Ma*** was compelled to sit on a 
bencb, being unable to stand up any longer. I do not 
recollect what M. Aug***, a remarkably strong man, felt ; 
but I remember that the effect was awful. Mesmer then 
called for his own servant to carry away the persons ; but 
this man, although well used to similar scenes, found him- 
self entirely disabled. Mesmer had to work for a while 
before he could restore everybody to their natural con- 
dition." 

However, after a superficial examination, the two re- 
porters of the Academy of Sciences and of the Royal 
Society of Medicine, decided that the effects pretended to 
be Magnetic were only the workings of the imagination of 
the persons acted upon : that Magnetism itself, as a spe- 
cial agent, was a " chimera" the practice of which was 
nevertheless attended with real dangers. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 305 

The absurdity of " the practice of a chimera being attend- 
ed with real dangers" did not strike the learned members of 
the committee till after the publication of the reports. 

I must state here that Dr. Franklin, on account of ill- 
ness, was detained in his bed, and did not witness the ex- 
periments. He signed the report as a matter of mere def- 
erence to the opinions of the other members of the com- 
mittee. M. de Jussieu, who alone had followed the ex- 
periments with considerable attention, courageously refu- 
sed to sign the report, in spite of the solicitations of his 
colleagues, and even the threats of M. de Breteml, who 
was minister of the king. He made a particular report, 
in which he acknowledges the existence of an external 
agent independent of imagination. 

Against the authority of the learned bodies, and against 
the ill-will of the minister and the machinations of the 
clergy, facts supported our cause. The pupils of Mesmer 
diffused the knowledge of his beneficial proceedings. Men, 
prominent from their birth, fortune, talents, and virtues, 
worked with ardor, from no other motive than the propa- 
gation of truth. Societies known under the name of Har- 
mony were organized, not only in France, but all over 
Europe, and Mesmer relied on their exertions to secure 
the triumph of the new science. He himself travelled in 
England, Germany, and again in France, where, in 1799, 
he published a second work on his discoveries. Lastly, 
he retired to Switzerland, where, on the borders of the 
lake of Constance, he passed the remainder of his life. 
He died at Mespurg, on the 15th of March, 1815, at the 
age of eighty-one, leaving a considerable work on Mag- 
netism, which Dr. Wolfart, his pupil and particular friend, 
published at Berlin in 1816. 

26* 



306 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER IV. 

DISCOVERY OF PSYCODUNAMIC SOMNAMBULISM. 

Among the pupils of Mesmqr, the most celebrated is the 
Marquis de Puysegur, a nobleman whose birth, mental ac- 
quirements, extreme benevolence, as well as large fortune, 
had secured him the highest rank in society. For the first 
time, in 1782, he saw a few Psycodunamic experiments 
made by his two brothers, the Counts Chastenet and Max- 
ime de Puysegur ; he was such an unbeliever at that time, 
that, half jokingly, half seriously, he reproached them with 
being the associates of a charlatan. But in 1784, when 
he came from the army, in which he held the rank of ma- 
jor, he found the first class of society in Paris divided, as 
it were, into two camps ; the one in favor of, the other 
opposed to the new doctrine. He resolved to examine 
for himself, and consented to give to Mesmer the hundred 
louis to become one of his pupils. But at the' end of the 
lectures of the German professor, his conviction was not 
complete, and he confessed candidly that he was by no 
means more enlightened on the subject than before. 
However, having gone to his estate of Busancy, near 
Soissons, to pass the summer, he one day, by way of 
pleasantry, dunamized one of his servants, who was suf- 
fering with a violent toothache. After ten minutes' ope- 
ration, the pain had left him, and it never returned. The 
next day, the wife of one of the guards of his hunting grounds 
was similarly cured by him, in about the same length of 
time. 

These results, trifling as they were, induced him to try 
his power on a young peasant, named Victor, who had for 
four days been suffering from an attack of pleurisy. The 



GENERAL HISTORY. 307 

operator was exceedingly surprised to see the boy, after 
fifteen minutes, lost in a quiet sleep, without crisis or con- 
vulsions. During this sleep, he could speak, and made 
sensible answers to the questions put to him by the won- 
dering Marquis. The next night Victor slept much better 
than before, and on the following morning his health had 
evidently improved. 

Such is the first correctly recorded observation of Psy- 
codunamic Somnambulism. It is true that some writers 
pretend that, previously to this event, Mesmer knew this 
phenomenon, and was by no means surprised when its 
wonders were related to him ; but the fact of his never 
having spoken of this most remarkable state, while he 
was so anxious to exhibit all the results of his proceed- 
ings, proves, in my opinion, that his extraordinary power, 
although more considerable than that which causes som- 
nambulism, was nevertheless of a different nature. Any 
person who has devoted his attention to the practice, will 
readily understand my remark; for the difference between 
dunamisers is very distinctly drawn, as will be seen in 
the chapter devoted to the examination of this subject in 
my forthcoming work on the Philosophy ofPsycodunamy. 

The rapid improvement and speedy cure of Victor, in 
consequence of the practice of M. de Puysegur, induced 
many villagers to call on him to be similarly relieved. 
But as their number daily increased, he resolved, in order 
to lessen his labor and fatigue, to prepare a tree according 
to the directions given by Mesmer. He tried the effect 
of it on the 7th of May, 1784. So soon as Victor put 
round his body the rope by which the patients were to es- 
tablish a communication between themselves and the tree, 
he fell into the same singular state of somnambulism the 
Marquis had noticed before. A large number of patients, 
Bitting round this natural Psycodunamic agent, experienced 
the most salutary effects. In a very short while, their 



308 PSYCODUNAMY. 

number nad increased so considerably, as at one time to 
amount to one hundred and thirty. " I had but one re- 
gret," wrote M. de Puysegur to his brother ; " it was, that 
I was not able to act, myself, upon each of them in par- 
ticular ; but my guide and excellent teacher in somnambu- 
lism, Victor, affirms that these exertions of mine are not 
necessary ; that a glance, a gesture, a mere act of my 
will, are the sole requisites." Thus it is that a mere boy, 
the most ignorant in that country, destroyed in a few 
words the brilliant theory of Mesmer, with his elaborate 
edifice of poles, his astronomical, or rather astrological in- 
fluences, his strange and minute processes ; unpresuming 
and even unconscious Victor, more plainly, more intelligi- 
bly, and, above all, more truly, revealed the cause and the 
secret of the power of Psycodunamy. 

Fame very soon widely spread the news of the prodi- 
gies worked at Busancy. Not only patients, but many 
curious persons came to witness the facts which trans- 
pired there. One of the" latter, M. C. Cloquet, receiver 
of public moneys at Soissons, spent several days at Bu- 
sancy, and published on the 13th of June, 1784, a letter 
which is the first publication in which the somnambulic 
phenomena have been detailed. I will give here a short 
extract from it. 

" The persons who experience that crisis appear en- 
dowed with supernatural gifts. In touching any patient 
who is presented to them, they feel internally themselves 
and know what is the matter with him ; they describe the 
disorder, name the suffering part and the affected organs. 
In many instances they prescribe remedies, which prove 
very useful. 

" I was myself examined by a woman of about fifty 
years of age. I declare, on my honor, that I had spoken 
to no one of my ailment. After having for some length of 
time touched my head, she said that I was subject to fre- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 309 

quent and violent headaches, and troubled with a constant 
buzzing in my ears. Her statement could not have been 
more correct. 

" A young man, spectator to this scene, laughed sneer- 
ingly, and expressed his unchanged disbelief. However, 
he asked her to examine him. She told him that he suf- 
fered from his stomach, and had several obstructions in his 
bowels, which he confessed to be true. But, still doubt- 
ing, he went immediately about twenty steps further to be 
examined by another somnambulist, who told him exactly 
the same thing. I never saw a more complete confusion 
than that exhibited by this young man, who had come 
with the avowed intention of contradicting and ridiculing, 
and of not being convinced. 

" A most striking singularity, no less remarkable, in my 
opinion, than the facts which I have just related, is that 
those sleepers who during four hours have touched pa- 
tients and conversed with them, have forgotten every 
thing, absolutely every thing, as soon as their master had 
broken the spell and willed them to return to their natural 
state. The time that passes away during their crisis is, 
as it were, lost to them. Their master not only has the 
power, as I have already stated, of making himself under- 
stood by his somnambulists, but I have seen him, several 
times and with my eyes wide open, — I have seen him, I 
say, point his finger to any of them, and cause them to 
follow him in any direction he pleased, — send them far 
from him, either to their own houses or to any other place, 
which he designated without speaking to them. I ascer- 
tained that during all the time, these singular creatures 
kept their eyes completely closed. 

" I must mention also that the intelligence of these som- 
nambulists is truly wonderful. If, even at a distance too 
considerable to be overheard, persons use improper lan- 
guage, or by their conduct offend the laws of strict moral- 



310 PSYCODUNAMY. 

ity, they perceive it internally ; their soul is affected ; they 
complain of it to their master ; a circumstance which on 
several occasions has rendered very disagreeable and mor- 
tifying the situation of some would-be wits, who had indul- 
ged too freely their shameful propensities at M. de Puy- 
segur's." 

In about six weeks M. de Puysegur effected sixty-two 
cures on persons of different ages and of both sexes, and 
he observed ten cases of somnambulism. At the end of 
the month of June, three hundred patients were enrolled 
to be cured, but he was compelled to join his regiment at 
Strasburg, and the treatment at Busancy was suspended. 
During his stay in that city, although his military duties 
left him very little leisure, circumstances induced him, 
against his wishes, to brave the sarcasms of ignorance, in 
order to alleviate the afflictions of several sufferers. One 
of these was a woman, fifty-two years of age, attacked, 
twenty years before, with fits and violent convulsions, 
which took place several times a week. Another was a 
young man of sixteen, who, when only seven months of 
age, had had one leg broken, and ever since experienced 
an intermittent paroxsym of paralysis, which returned ev- 
ery day at half-past seven p. m. 

M. de Puysegur returned to Busancy in October, and 
resumed his observations and experiments. He was him- 
self cured of a severe illness by the attendance of his as- 
sistant dunamisers, Clement and Ribault, and the advice 
of a somnambulist named Vielet. 

He about this time sent to press the first part of his 
" Memoirs to serve for the History and Establishment of 
Animal Magnetism" which he presented to the different 
pupils of Mesmer on the 4th of February, 1785, with the 
express injunction that they should not be communicated 
to anybody : " I do not believe," says he, in his letter to 
them, " that the time has come to make publicly known 



GENERAL HISTORY. 311 

the facts that I have witnessed. They would not be gen- 
erally admitted, in spite of the numerous testimonies an- 
nexed to them. Until at least fifty dunamisers shall have 
successfully repeated the experiments, it cannot be expect- 
ed that any reasonable and candid person will credit them, 
still less the unreflecting and prejudiced multitude. To 
my interest for the science, is also added my personal in- 
terest. I would not like to give a premature publicity to 
my experiments ; for I could not without pain see people 
doubting my word and questioning my veracity," etc. 

After having collected many more observations, and fre- 
quently reproduced the phenomena of somnambulism, he 
completed the second part of his " Memoirs :" this work, 
published in one volume, bears for epigraph, " Croyez et 
Veuillez" (believe and will,) and concludes with the fol- 
lowing precepts, of which, since that time, every day has 
brought additional confirmation — Active will to do good 
— Firm belief in one's own power — Entire confi- 
dence IN ITS USE. 

"TrTMay, 1785, M. de Puysegur went back to Sirasburg, 
and consented, at the request of the Count of Lutzelbourg, 
to deliver lectures on Psycodunamy to a select society 
who wished to be instructed in that science. But, confi- 
dent that lectures on any point, the existence of which is 
yet questionable, can create but little interest, he refused 
to communicate the theory and explications of Mesmer 
before having proved, by actual evidences, the reality of 
his discovery. Accordingly, he agreed that during six 
weeks he would remain every morning at his lodgings, in 
order to operate there on any patients they should bring to 
him. Before a week had elapsed, several cases of som- 
nambulism had already occurred. The bystanders, hav- 
ing observed with candor and attention, unanimously 
and unreservedly declared, after the lapse of a month, 
their conviction of the existence of the phenomena, and 






312 



FSYCOBUNAMY. 






more earnestly than ever expressed their anxiety to learn 
the philosophy of them. That very day M. de Puysegur 
began his course of lectures by reading the propositions 
of Mesmer, and giving to them the scientific explications 
and developments of the German Professor. That is to 
say, he spoke successively of the formation of the uni- 
verse — the celestial spheres — the earth — inert matter — 
organized bodies — cohesion — elasticity — gravity — inten- 
tion and remission in the properties of all substances — the 
ebbing and flowing of the tide — fire — electricity — mag- 
netic currents — sensations — instinct — disease — the natu- 
ral mechanism of the cure of maladies, etc. " Such," 
said he to his audience, " is the succinct explication giv- 
en by Mesmer ; I will make no comment on them, in or- 
der not to influence your opinion." 

The gentlemen looked at each other inquiringly, and 
asked at last, what actual and positive knowledge they 
■would gather from this theory. " This system of material- 
ism may be perhaps very deep and beautiful. But do you 
think of all those abstractions when you operate 1 Cer- 
tainly your footman Ribault is perfectly ignorant of the in- 
tention and remission of the properties of inert and organ- 
ized matter. What was he doing — what was his principle 
of action, when at Busancy he obtained as many somnam- 
bulists as yourself? We ask only to know as much as he 
does, and to be able to produce the same results." M. de 
Puysegur deferred for a day or two the simple explanation 
that he was to give them. He delivered another lecture 
on the system of M. le Che v. de Barbarin and other spir- 
itualists, and concluded by saying that will alone was the 
principle of all the effects they had seen. " Why !" they 
exclaimed, " Is that all ?" — "I know of no other theory, and 
even for this I am indebted to Victor, Joly, and Vielet." — 
" Is it possible that it is sufficient to put one's hand on a 
patient, and wish him to be well, to obtain results as won- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 313 

derful as those we have witnessed ? Is that truly all the 
secret ?" — " That is truly all the secret. The whole science 
is contained in the two words, Croyez et Veuillez, that 
I have chosen as an epigraph for my work." 

The course of lectures ended with this short but satis- 
factory instruction. The pupils and master now thought 
of establishing at Strasburg a society for the propagation 
of Psycodunamy. M. de Puysegur drew up the laws for 
regulating the operations of the society and the conditions 
of admission ; every article was discussed and voted 
unanimously, and on the 25th of August the society was 
organized under the name of Society of United Friends, 
and after having selected a proper room, they began faith- 
fully to discharge their charitable duties. Twenty was 
the number of the members at the time of the formation, 
but they increased so rapidly, that the first annual re- 
port was signed by over two hundred members, all men 
of fortune, talents, and excellent character, which were 
indispensable requisites for admission. They published 
three volumes of observations, from the year 1786 to 1789, 
under the title of " Annals of Strasburg ;" these contain 
highly interesting facts and most important instructions. 
This society was still in existence in 1791. The benefits 
conferred on humanity by the gratuitous exertions of the 
members are incalculable ; but in 1792, the dispersion, 
and even the incarceration, of the greater number of them, 
put an end to this commendable institution. 

Similar societies were formed at Metz, Nancy, Bayonne, 
Bordeaux, Lyons, and several other cities of France and 
Germany, and even in the "West Indies, as much by the 
care of M. de Puysegur and his brothers, as by the other 
pupils of Mesmer, who had themselves made innumerable 
proselytes. Evidences of the reality, power, and useful- 
ness of Psycodunamy were collected from every quarter, 
and all bearing, as witnesses of the facts, the names of 
27 



314 PSYCODUNAMY. 

men of rank and respectability. Thus, in spite of the scorn 
and scoffs of the pretended freethinkers, who, coveting the 
fame of possessing superior minds, were in fact but too 
weak to acknowledge their error, or too proud to investi- 
gate the matter, the triumph of truth was rapidly progress- 
ing, when the revolution in France broke out, and, like an 
overflowing torrent, carried away, in its irresistible course, 
philosophers and sciences, artists and fine arts. At this 
period the different Societies of Harmony were dissolved ; 
their members scattered ; the public treatment of patients 
was suspended ; private ones, if any, were unobserved. 
Many of the most ardent advocates of the Psycodunamic 
doctrine were lost in the revolutionary vortex, and it was. 
not before the greatest captain of the world had compelled 
Europe to submit to his mighty genius, that from its ap- 
parent defection Psycodunamy sprang up again, and se- 
cured to its cause more partisans than ever. Time and 
political interest had quelled the passions and hatred of the 
majority of the learned. The practice had been followed 
in silence, and its effects observed with less partiality and 
a more philosophical eye. The indefatigable De Puyse- 
gur, who had retired to Busancy, far from the political 
strife, had again devoted there all his fortune and time to 
the relief of the sick and poor. He came forward in 
1807, 1809, and 1811, with three volumes of his personal 
observations. These works had then a great influence ; 
many scientific men, physicians, and naturalists, devoted 
their time to an investigation of the matter. More than thirty 
volumes rapidly succeeded his publications, and confirmed 
by the most honorable testimonies the correctness and im- 
portance of his principles, which they could only develop 
by bringing forth new and confirmatory results. 

Thus it is that we are indebted to M. de Puysegur for 
the first precise observation and description of the true 
characters of somnambulism. He also was the first to 



GENERAL HISTORY. 315 

point out all the resources that it affords, whether for the 
benefit of the subject himself, or for that of other patients ; 
and the first to acknowledge that the state of convulsions 
and violent crises of which the treatment of Mesmer and 
D'Eslon presented so many instances, was not only use- 
less, but actually dangerous. Far from attempting to pro- 
duce this state, he devoted all his exertions to prevent its 
development in the course of his practice, and to sooth 
and calm the patients whenever the slightest symptom of 
it manifested itself. What he said about the dangers at- 
tending experiments of mere curiosity, is particularly de- 
serving the attention of all dunamisers ; and never should 
they forget the striking instance of it which he relates, 
and of which his poor and interesting Victor was the vic- 
tim, at the house of the Marchioness of Montesson in 
Paris. (See Memoirs, part i. p. 199.) In a word, it may 
be truly said of him, that he was the first to establish the 
doctrine on a solid foundation. 

In 1815, a society of the friends of Psycodunamy was 
established at Paris. M. de Puysegur was elected pres- 
ident of it for life. At a later period, in 1817, his zeal for 
the cause engaged him to take the direction of the journal 
published by this society under the title of Library of 
Magnetism. In an article " On the Power of Will,'' 1 in- 
serted in the first number, he relates that, induced by for- 
mer success, he proposed in 1812, to the Abbe Sicard, 
director of the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, to de- 
vote all his time to dunamising the pupils of his institution, 
in order to develop among them the somnambulic faculties, 
an event which would not only afford the best evidence of 
the existence and extent of those faculties, but at the same 
time cure many of the pupils, and practically demonstrate 
the importance of this new means as a remedy for that 
particular affection. It is hardly necessary to say that 
the government refused the proper authorization. In 1817, 



316 



PSYCODUNAMY, 



he made again the same request, although he had no more 
hope of seeing it granted. " But," says he, " in inserting 
this fact in the archives of our society, it will give to it a 
fixed date ; and when the newspapers shall tell France 
that an experiment so simple and so decisive has been 
successfully made in other countries, we shall at least 
have preserved for us the glory of priority." 

M. de Puysegur died in August, 1824, at the age of 74. 
Few men have led a life offering an example more worthy 
of imitation. Placed on the road to honorable distinction, 
he could have filled the most important offices of the 
state ; but he preferred the more true and quiet happiness 
of alleviating and enlightening his fellow-creatures. All 
who had the honor of knowing him personally, united in 
acknowledging that he was characterized by the purest 
and most unbounded charity, in which, despite the sar- 
casms of ignorance, he persevered till the last day of his 
life ; and all will confess, after studying his works, that 
for exactness of facts, truth of observation, impartiality of 
judgment, and soundness of precepts, he has not been sur- 
passed, .and will always stand as an excellent model. 

Not to mention immediately after the Marquis de Puy- 
segur, the venerable Deleuze, who divides with him the 
honor of having propagated and defended the truth and 
usefulness of Psycodunamy, would be an omission doubly 
unpardonable — first, because his constant exertions and 
high character as a scientific and religious man have, 
perhaps, done more in favor of our cause, than any thing 
else ; and secondly, because I am proud to declare here 
that I consider myself as a pupil of Deleuze, for during 
nearly ten years I enjoyed the advantage of receiving from 
his own mouth extremely valuable information ; and in 
that capacity, I beg leave to pay him the tribute of respect 
and regret that his memory deserves. The best praise 
that can be bestowed upon him, however, is simply to nar- 



GENERAL HISTORY 317 

rate what he has done ; for deeds like his carry with them 
their own commendation, and are sure to win the suffrages 
of mankind at large. 

To narrate how he became a partisan of Psycodunamy, 
is to give the personal experience of all who practise the 
science. An unbeliever at first, he rejected the facts as 
fabulous, till, on more mature examination, and after a per- 
sonal trial, to his great surprise, he found them veritable. 
He then boldly declared, " I consider it a sacred duty for 
me to defend that which I know to be the truth, without 
allowing myself to be deterred from it by the judgment of 
unbelievers." This task he faithfully discharged, during 
his long and honorable career ; and his recent death is a 
loss of the greatest moment, not only to Psycodunamy, but 
to the sciences in general. 

Deleuze was born in March, 1753, at Sisteron, and re- 
sided at a short distance from it, in the country, when for 
the first time, in 1785, he heard of the cures performed at 
Busancy. The letter of M. Cloquet fell into his hands, 
and he laughed heartily at that which he considered as 
mere fabrications designed to bring ridicule on dunamisers '*-<» 
and their patients. However, he heard that one of his 
friends, M. D***, of Aix, a man of cool reason and supe- 
rior mind, had been to see Mesmer at M. Servan's, and 
had since practised with success the art of the German 
physician. To his utter astonishment, the prodigies of 
Busancy were said to be produced by him, and he resolved 
to go and ascertain the truth. The following extract from 
his own works, gives an account of his visit and its re- 
sults : 

" I performed the journey on foot, botanizing as I went. 
On the second day, at noon, I arrived at Aix, having 
walked.since four o'clock in the morning. I stopped at 
my friend's, and told him immediately the motive of my 
journey. £ What must I think of the prodigies of which I 

27* 



318 PSYCODTJNAMY. 

have heard V He smiled, and only said, ' Wait, and you 
will see what they are. My patient will be here at three 
o'clock.' She arrived, as expected, and with her several 
persons who were to form a chain. I joined this chain, 
and saw, in a few minutes, the patient asleep. I looked 
on with astonishment, but did not long continue looking, 
for in less than fifteen minutes I was asleep myself. In 
this state I began to talk and move so much as to trouble 
the chain. I was told this on awaking, when I also found 
them all laughing around me. As for myself, I had no 
recollection of it. The next day I did not join the chain : 
I observed in silence, and desired my friend to teach me 
the processes. 

" On my return home, I tried my skill on the sick on 
the farms of the neighborhood of my country-seat. I was 
careful not to excite their imagination : I touched them 
under various pretexts, telling them that gentle frictions 
could not fail to be beneficial, and obtained very curious 
and salutary effects, which strengthened my faith. 

" Towards the end of autumn I returned to the city. I 
met there a young physician, a man of much merit, whose 
prudence still held him in doubt, while his desire for 
knowledge made him anxious to fix his opinion by actual 
experience. I requested him to obtain for me a patient, 
whose disease might be severe enough to test the efficien- 
cy of my processes, without the case being, nevertheless, 
so desperate as to leave me the fear of seeing him die at 
the very beginning of the treatment. He introduced me to a 
young woman who had been sick seven years. She suffered 
constantly with excruciating pains, and was much bloated. 
Her spleen was the seat of a considerable obstruction, per- 
ceptible externally. She could neither walk nor lie down. 
I produced crises of abundant perspiration and urinary se- 
cretion ; the blood resumed its proper course ; the swell- 
ing and obstruction disappeared ; and I enabled her to go 



GENERAL HISTORY. 319 

about and resume her customary duties. When I touched 
her, she slept, but did not become a somnambulist. 

" Soon after, my intimate friend, M. D***, began the 
treatment of a young lady of sixteen, who became a som- 
nambulist. She was the daughter of very respectable pa- 
rents. I assisted in the treatment. She prescribed reme- 
dies for other sick persons, and gave us general directions 
for the management of diseases. I myself put such ques- 
tions as she could not have expected, and I never have 
known a more perfect somnambulist. She presented to us 
most of the phenomena observed by M. de Puysegur, M. 
Tard)^ de Montravel, and the members of the Society of 
Strasburg. Among those phenomena there are many, the 
mere possibility of which I can neither explain nor under- 
stand. I can only affirm that I saw them ; and the par- 
ticulars satisfy me completely that there was no ground 
left for the least illusion or practicability of fraud." 

From this time Deleuze neglected no opportunity of 
multiplying his experiments and making accurate observa- 
tions. The number of patients he relieved or completely 
cured is very considerable, and the most disinterested 
charity always prompted his attendance. 

To relate here how he made his name eminent in the 
sciences and in literature, to quote his valuable translations 
of " Darwin's Loves of the Plants," and " Thomson's 
Seasons ;" or to insist on the merits of his " Eudoxus, or 
Conversations on the Study of the Sciences, Letters, 
and Philosophy," and many, other highly creditable wri- 
tings, would be foreign to the plan of this work. If I state 
here that his scientific acquirements secured him the situ- 
ations of assistant naturalist of the Garden of Plants, in 
Paris — of secretary of the Association of the Professors, 
who published the " Annals of the Museum of Natural 
History"— of librarian of the same Museum ; — that he was 
secretary of the Philanthropic Society, the annual reports 



f 



320 PSYCODUNAMY. 

of which he had drawn during fifteen years ; — member of 
the Philomathic Society, and of several other learned 
bodies, both in France and foreign countries, — it is only to 
give to my readers an evidence of the character of De- 
leuze. The fact that Cuvier, De Humboldt, Gay-Lussac, 
Thenard, Ampere, Arago, Duperron, Le Vaillant, etc., were 
his intimate friends, proves, on the other hand, that his rare 
qualities had been duly appreciated by the most illustrious 
men of our age. Thus it is that during the discussions 
which took place in the Royal Academy of Medicine, 
even the opponents of Psycodunamy never mentioned his 
name without the most honorable epithets, and the com- 
mittee have always quoted his opinion as authority. 

But his works on our subject should properly, at this 
time, alone call our attention. His " Critical History of 
Animal Magnetism" which appeared in 1813, is the result 
of twenty-five years of reflection and experience. 

The first volume, after a general sketch of the history 
of the discovery and the obstacles opposed to it, contains 
the examination of the proofs on which the new doctrine 
is founded ; he treats afterwards of the means of acting, 
of their efficacy and dangers. 

The second volume is an analysis, made with the great- 
est accuracy and discernment, of over three hundred wri- 
tings on the subject, both pro and con. The candor and 
impartiality of the historian, by no means weakens the 
strength of his irresistible argumentation ; and whoever 
reads it will, in spite of former prejudices, exclaim with 
admiration, This cannot be false ! This must be true ! 
This is true ! 

In 1819 he published his Letter to the author of " Su- 
perstitions and Impostures of Philosophers" (the Rev. 
Abbot Wurtz of Lyons.) This pamphlet, remarkable fox 
its powerful reasoning, confutes a ranting production, 
which, from its absurdity and spirit of intolerance, would 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



321 



have done no discredit to the thirteenth century. The 
Rev. Abbot, for instance, among many other evidences of 
deplorable prejudice and blindness, pretends that Psyco- 
dunamy is the work of the devil, and he loudly calls for 
the execration of men upon both dunamisers and patients, 
as people necessarily devoted to eternal damnation. 

At the same epoch, he wrote also the Defence of Mag- 
netism against the attacks made upon it in the " Dictionary 
of Medical Science.'''' This defence is a model of persua- 
sive eloquence. It constantly opposes dignity, politeness, 
and reason, to declamation characterized by contempt, 
irony, and sarcasm. It skilfully refutes the assertions of 
the author, (M. Virey,) by the concessions that he is him- 
self forced to admit. It shows, for instance, the inconsis- 
tency of a man who says, (p. 528,) " It is folly to believe 
that with mere gestures, words, or will, you can act at a 
distance, and cure diseases ;" and then again, (p. 551,) 
" It is with good reason that the celebrated Hufeland and 
many other skilful physicians resort to Magnetism, when 
common remedies have failed ; for its practice has a re- 
markable efficacy against many disorders, such as chronic 
affections of the abdominal organs, dyspepsia, obstructions 
of the glands, dysmenorrhea, scrofula, neuralgia, rheuma- 
tism, gout, certain diseases of the eyes, deafness, &c." 

In 1825 appeared his celebrated Practical Instruction 
on Animal Magnetism; an admirable system of rules, 
which places the subject within the reach of all minds. 
This work, which has been translated into all the langua- 
ges of Europe, has received in this country an excellent 
English dress at the hands of Th. C. Hartshorn, Esq., of 
Providence, R. I., who has annexed to it a very valuable 
description of cases in the United States. 

It would be useless to dwell on the merit of this work. 
The sound principles, the excellent precepts, and the ex- 
tensiveness of the development given to them, render it 



322 PSYCODUNAMY. 

the indispensable manual of all persons who want a good 
guide. I cannot refrain from quoting the following ex- 
ample of the kindness and modesty which are the principal 
characteristics of its author: "Among the men who have 
devoted themselves to the practice of Magnetism, there is 
a great number who have more intelligence and more 
knowledge than myself. I have a lively desire that the 
reading of this work may determine them to execute the 
plan I proposed to myself, better than I have been able to 
do it. I invite them to take from my instructions all that 
appears to them worthy of being preserved, and not to 
quote me except to rectify the errors which may have es- 
caped my diligence. Our wish is to do good. This wish 
unites us ; it identifies us, so to speak, one with another. 
When success is obtained, let us enjoy it equally, whoever 
may be the author of it. It is possible for self-love to be 
gratified in the discovery of a truth, but never in having 
done good deeds." 

In 1826, the Letter to the members of the Academy of 
Medicine made a great sensation, and was frequently quo- 
ted by M. Husson. 

From 1814 to 1829, he published several essays, which 
appeared successively in three periodicals devoted to 
Psycodunamy : 1st. Annals of Magnetism, 8 vols. 8vo., from 
1814 to 1816; 2d. Library of Magnetism, 8 vols. 8vo.,from 
1813 to 1819; 3d. Hermes, 4 vols. 8 vo., from 1826 to 1829. 

The last work of Deleuze is A Treatise on the faculty 
of Prevision, published in 1836 ; all who have read this 
work agree in their expressions of a most unqualified ap- 
proval. The recent writers on Psycodunamy have all 
largely extracted from it, when treating of this faculty. 

The writings of Deleuze cannot be too highly praised ; 
and those who wish to devote attention to the most impor- 
tant truth of the age, cannot do better than resort to the 
works of the man who, by the superiority of his intelli- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 323 

gence, the sagacity of his conclusions, and the example of 
his whole life, has compelled the most envenomed calum- 
ny to respect in him the veracity of the savant, and the 
honesty of the dunamiser. 

However, besides De Puysegur and Deleuze, many men 
of high character appeared in the field, and contributed to 
the propagation of Psycodunamy. 

The great Cuvier, in his Comparative Anatomy, when 
speaking of the nervous system, admits the reality of the 
Psycodunamic faculties, and expresses himself in the fol- 
lowing terms : " The effects produced upon persons un- 
aware of the will of the operator, and during the natural 
sleep of some patients ; those which have taken place 
upon other persons, so as to reduce them to a state of in- 
sensibility ; and also the effects obtained on brutes, no 
longer permit it to be doubted, that the proximity of two 
animated bodies, in a certain position, and the help of cer- 
tain motions, do produce a real effect, wholly independent 
of the imagination of either. It is also evident that these 
effects are owing to a communication which takes place 
between the nervous systems of the two parties." (Cuvier, 
Anat. Comp., torn, ii.) 

The learned Laplace, in his celebrated work, Traite 
analytique du Calcul des probahilites, expresses himself in 
the same manner, (p. 41 ;) he says : " The extraordinary 
phenomena which result from the extreme sensibility of 
the nervous system in some persons, have given birth to 
a variety of opinions on the existence of a newly discov- 
ered agent denominated Animal Magnetism. It is natural 
to suppose that the influence of the cause is very subtile, 
and that it can be easily disturbed by accidental circum- 
stances ; but it would be unfair to conclude that it never 
exists, merely because, in some cases, it does not manifest 
itself. We are so far from being acquainted with all the 
agencies of nature, ai}d with their different modes of ac- 



824 PSYCODUNAMY. 

tion, that it would be unphilosophical to deny their exist- 
ence, because, in the present state of our knowledge, they 
are inexplicable." 

The celebrated professor of natural philosophy, Am- 
pere, went much farther than either Cuvier or Laplace in 
the expression of his acknowledgment of the Psycodu- 
namic phenomena. In the sittings of the Academy of 
Sciences, he never allowed any occasion to pass, without 
speaking of the necessity and importance of proper experi- 
ments, and of an investigation of the subject. 

Francceur, whose name is so dear to all scientific men, 
made a report to the Philomathic Society on the facts that 
transpired in the Department of the Ardeche ; and pro- 
claimed, as a personal witness, the truth of the power of 
seeing without the use of the eyes, and the correctness of 
somnambulic prevision. 

In 1819, Dr. Bertrand, one of the most distinguished 
pupils of the Polytechnic School, and a disciple of De- 
leuze, began a course of lectures on Psycodunamy, which 
created the greatest excitement in Paris. Encouraged by 
his first success, he delivered a second course, and this 
time the crowd was so considerable, that two hours pre- 
vious to the time of the appearance of the professor not a 
single seat could be found in the large room of the Aca- 
demical Society of Science, at the Oratoire, Rue St. Ho- 
nore. He published afterwards his celebrated Treatise 
on Somnambulism, which is the first work, " ex jprofesso" 
on the subject. 

Dr. Rostan, professor of medicine at the Medical Fac- 
ulty of Paris, wrote the article Magnetism in the Diction- 
ary of Medicine, vol. xviii., 1825. When Dr. Rostan 
heard, for the first time, of the Psycodunamic wonders, he 
thought that those who related them were under the in- 
fluence of a new kind of monomania, and he could not 
conceive the possibility of any sensible person having 



GENERAL HISTORY. 325 

faith in such nonsense. He went further ; he not only- 
said that this pretended doctrine was disgusting charla- 
tanry, but during ten years he expressed most explicitly 
in his writings the opinion that all dunamisers were but 
"contemptible knaves" and all their patients, "pitiful 
dupes." 

However, one day, from mere curiosity, he himself tried 
to dunamise a person who had never before heard even 
the name of the science ; he was amazed at his producing, 
after a few minutes of action, effects so wonderful, that he 
dared not to speak of them for fear of being ridiculed. He 
silently acknowledged that incredulity is the offspring of 
ignorance, and that the opinions of men, however eminent, 
are not. to be depended on when they contradict the testi- 
mony of one's own senses and personal experience. 

In speaking of the faculty of prevision, he says, (p. 439,) 
" Can it be possible that some somnambulists possess the 
inconceivable faculty of knowing future events 1 I have 
seen facts of that kind which are assuredly most astonish- 
ing ; but, although I have seen them, even repeatedly, I still 
remain doubting." 

Dr. Rostan possessed, in a remarkable degree, the pow- 
er of paralyzing a limb, and of causing complete insensi- 
bility. " Fraud and deception are in cases like these ab- 
solute impossibilities ; for," says he, " my will alone, with- 
out my having expressed it in any other way than mental- 
ly, has proved sufficient to produce not only the numbness, 
but a complete paralysis on one limb, the tongue — one 
sense only — or a general insensibility, which sometimes I 
found rather difficult to dissipate. If you ask the patient 
what he feels, he says that a death-like cold creeps over 
the paralyzed part, and that an insuperable power prevents 
him from moving it." 

After having faithfully described the various Psycoduna- 
mic phenomena, Dr. Rostan indicates, with the same ac- 

28 



326 PSYCODUNAMY. 

curacy, the processes necessary to produce tnem ; and he 
is the first among the savans who proposed to account for 
them by a physiological theory in accordance with the 
study of the other natural sciences. He thinks that those 
phenomena are dependent on the nervous system, the func- 
tions of which are not yet sufficiently known ; that the 
nervous agent, whatever be its nature, is the cause of 
them ; that this agent is either active or passive ; that it 
appears to be exhaled and to spread to a certain distance, 
as Reil and many other physiologists assert ; that the ner- 
vous atmosphere of the dunamiser mingles with that of the 
person dunamised, and that through this kind of communi- 
cation are established those remarkable connections of 
thoughts, wishes, and feelings, between the one and the 
other ; that this agent is exceedingly subtile, and possesses, 
more than any known fluid, the power of penetrating 
opaque and solid bodies ; and that, lastly, it has some an- 
alogy to electricity. 

In speaking of the therapeutical results of Psycoduna- 
my, he says : " They who deny the cures must be indeed 
poor physicians, poor physiologists, and poor philosophers ! 
To conclude with certainty that it must possess a power 
useful when properly applied, is it not sufficient that the 
proceedings determine changes in the organization ? This 
truth, that reason alone suggests, is demonstrated most 
satisfactorily by experience. The direct influence of the 
nervous agent will of course appear more evidently in ner- 
vous disorders — such as hysterics, hypochondria, melan- 
choly, mania, epilepsy, catalepsy, cramps, convulsions, 
general or local pains, rheumatism, amaurosis, deafness, 
paralysis, neuralgias, etc. ; but will its power be limited to 
the disorders of the nervous system alone ? Will not the 
brain, by being powerfully modified through this agent, 
operate some advantageous changes in any diseased or- 
gan ? In causing the suspension of pain, will it not con- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



327 



fer a first and immediate benefit ? What, then, if experi- 
ence demonstrate that this same agent makes the intersti- 
tial absorption more active ? if it increase or diminish at 
will the general circulation of the blood ? will it not establish 
unquestionably why general therapeutics possess no means 
better calculated to alleviate immediately, and ultimately 
cure, both acute and chronic diseases ?" 

It would occupy too much time and space to point out 
all the valuable and important things to be found in the ar- 
ticle of Professor Rostan. I will, nevertheless, add to the 
above quotations the instance that he relates of sight with- 
out the use of the eyes, (p. 433.) 

" I have repeatedly and successfully tried the following 
experiment ; but I have been at last compelled to interrupt 
its exhibition, from its causing excessive fatigue in my 
somnambulist, who told me that if I should persist it 
would make her a perfect lunatic. My intimate friend 
and fellow-professor, Ferrus, was my witness, and I think 
proper to mention his name here because his testimony is 
calculated to give to my assertions the most unquestionable 
character of truth. He took my watch, and put it at a dis- 
tance of four or five inches from the occiput. He asked 
the somnambulist if she could see any thing ? ' Yes, I do 
see something that shines ; but it hurts me.' Her features 
were expressive of pain, and ours of astonishment. We 
looked upon each other, and Mr. Ferrus said, ' Since she 
sees something that shines, she will probably say what it 
is.' — ' What do you see that shines V — ' I do not know ; it 
fatigues me to look at it.' — ' Look again.' — ' Well, wait a 
moment,' (and after a moment of profound attention,) ' it is 
a watch.' New surprise. — ' But if she sees that it is a 
watch, she will probably tell the time by it,' again said Mr. 
Ferrus. ' Can you tell the time V — ' Oh, no ! it is too dif- 
ficult !' — Do try !' — ' Well, I will.' — She remains very at- 
tentive for a while, and says, ' It is ten minutes past eight.' 



328 PSYCODUNAMY. 

This was correct. Mr. Ferrus was anxious to try trie 
same experiment himself. He changed the direction of 
the hands, and asked the time, without ascertaining pre- 
viously what it was ; he did so repeatedly, and at each 
trial she told him the time without the slightest error. It 
would occupy too much time to relate all the extraordinary 
things that this somnambulist told us, and which proved 
correct ; it is enough to have demonstrated the faculty of 
seeing through other organs than those ordinarily used. 
This fact I have seen, and caused others to see." 

It was a short time after the publication of the article of 
Dr. Rostan, that Dr. Foissac wrote to the Royal Academy 
of Medicine the letter that I have mentioned in the first 
part of this work, (see p. 28.) He had previously publish- 
ed a pamphlet on the subject, and addressed it to the 
Academy of Sciences. His zeal in seconding the views 
of the committee that he caused to be appointed to inves- 
tigate the matter, is worthy of the greatest praise ; and 
the work which he published in 1833, is unquestionably 
the most important that has ever appeared on Psycoduna- 
my. I have largely extracted from it, and that part of my 
own work which relates the first academical discussions 
on the subject is a mere translation of his. 

After Dr. Foissac, the man whose constant and inde- 
fatigable exertions have most advanced the cause of Psy- 
codunamy is Baron Dupotet. He not only made the first 
successful experiments ever tried in public hospitals in 
Paris _; but in order to propagate the doctrine he travelled 
all over France, and even in England, delivering public 
lectures, that were well attended. The persecutions he 
experienced in Montpellier, and the cures he performed in 
that city, have secured to his name a lasting renown. 
He published, in 1836, his course of seven Lectures on Mag- 
netism, and in 1840 his Magnetism opposed to Medicine. 
Those valuable works afford numerous evidences of the 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



329 



great power he possesses as a dunamiser ; they manifest 
also a noble and enthusiastic mind, well calculated to pro- 
duce instantaneous and striking phenomena. 

Dr. Filassier, in 1832, presented to the Faculty of 
Medicine his probatory thesis, the subject of which was 
Psycodunamy. 

Professor Andral, in his course of lectures on Internal 
Pathology, devotes several to the examination of the Psy- 
codunamic doctrine ; and if he does not admit all our 
opinions, he acknowledges at least the truth of the funda- 
mental principle — viz. the action of man on his fellow- 
creature by the power of will, independently of the imagi- 
nation of either, — and the truth of the somnambulic phe- 
nomena. 

Several important works of modern philosophy, particu- 
larly those of Count de Redern, of Baron Massias, and 
M. Chardel, have attracted considerable attention to the 
new faculties discovered in man, the existence of which 
Psycodunamy has demonstrated by producing somnambu- 
lism. I ought to mention also the works of Messrs. 
Frappart, Teste, Despine, Aubin Gauthier, and Ricard, as 
deserving of particular attention, and containing precious 
materials for the erection of the scientific edifice of Psy- 
codunamy. But none of them is to be compared, in point 
of importance, with the work of M. Mialle, whom grati- 
tude induced to publish a Narrative of the most Remarkable 
Cures performed by Magnetism in France from the days of 
Mesmer to the present time, (1774-1826.) Over three thou- 
sand well-authenticated cases are to be found there ; and 
without exaggeration, it may be said that the records of 
the whole medical science contain less numerous and less 
interesting facts to prove the excellency of any means of 
treatment. 

28* 






330 PSYCODTJNAMY. 



CHAPTER V. 

PSYCODUNAMIC EXPERIMENTS IN THE PUBLIC HOSPITALS OF 

PARIS. 

On the 20th of October, 1820, at a lecture of Prof. Hus- 
son, at the Hotel-Dieu, Dr. Rossen announced a remarka- 
ble cure performed on M. Pihan de la Forest, a celebrated 
printer, who had been suffering exceedingly from sciatic 
neuralgia, and of a case of chronic cholera, both of which 
had been successfully treated by the Psycodunamic pro- 
cess. Dr. Desprez, the operator, was already known by 
a most unexpected result in a very trying circumstance : 
his own wife, after confinement, had experienced acci- 
dents of so serious a nature that all common remedies had 
failed ; the patient had lost her strength, and, conscious of 
the imminence of her danger, had uttered the last farewell 
to her husband, after which she remained senseless, cold, 
and without the least perceptible breathing. Several of 
the physicians and friends who were present tried to draw 
Dr. Desprez away from that which was, to all appear- 
ance, a mere corpse. But he obstinately refused, and 
begged them to leave him alone with her. So soon as 
they retired, he undressed, lay down by her, took her into 
his arms, and tried to reanimate her with his own life. 
After twenty minutes, he could perceive no difference in 
the supposed dead ; but, instead of being discouraged, he 
redoubled his energetic exertions, and before ten minutes 
more had elapsed, she uttered a deep sigh, opened her 
eyes, acknowledged him, and began to speak. A week 
after, she had completely recovered. 

Of the physicians who attended the lectures that during 
ten years Professor Husson had delivered with the great- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 331 

est eclat at the Hdtel-Dieu, a great number, feeling deeply- 
interested, begged of him to permit this new means to be 
tried on some patients of the hospital. He consented, 
and, on the 26th of the same month, Baron Dupotet, whose 
Psycodunamic power had rendered him very conspicuous, 
began his experiments. It was agreed that Dr. Husson 
should himself choose the patients ; that the witnesses 
should be such persons as Dr. Husson should think pro- 
per ; and lastly, that no questions but those which he 
should direct himself should be put to the patients opera- 
ted upon. M. Dupotet raised no objections, and the room 
of the Sister of Charity was designated as the proper 
place in which to dunamise. Dr. Husson held a watch 
in one hand, and with the other recorded all the particu- 
lars as they transpired ; the minutes were signed by all 
the persons present. 

The first patient was Miss Samson, seventeen years old, 
who, after a suppression occasioned by a sudden fright 
and exposure to a rain-storm, had experienced great pain 
in her stomach, vomiting, and fever. All kinds of food, 
and even the simplest drinks, were immediately rejected, 
and frequently mixed with a large quantity of blood. Her 
heart beat violently, its palpitations increasing at night. 
During two months and a half, Dr. Recamier had resorted 
to bleeding, cupping, and leeching. To applications of 
ice, which caused hysterical crises two or three times a 
day, he had added blisters, the potion of Riviere, compres- 
sion of the abdomen, opium, and an absolute diet during 
ten days. 

Eight months' duration of the symptoms proved Jhow little 
common medicine could do to relieve the patient. The first 
trial of the Psycodunamic proceedings caused only a feeble 
prickling sensation in the eyelids, and general uneasiness. 
The second time the effects were more evident, and at 
the third trial the sleep was so deep that it was in vain 



332 PSYCODUNAMY. 

they tried to awake her. She was carried back to her 
bed, where she slept nine hours in succession. The fol- 
lowing day she answered the questions put to her by M. 
Dupotet, hearing his voice alone, and remaining perfectly 
unconscious of any noise made near her ears. They 
shook her violently, pinched her severely, without being 
able to elicit the smallest sign of sensibility ; but, upon 
every repetition of these experiments, she had convulsions 
on awaking. 

It was not long before Miss Samson began to give, du- 
ring her somnambulic state, some account of her disorder. 
She said that her stomach was full of little pimples — some 
whitish, some red, and grouped near each other as they 
appear in chicken-pox ; she described also near the heart 
a kind of bag, as big as a walnut, and full of blood ; she 
spoke of a kind of thin thread that caused her heart to 
beat. She thought at first that the disease of the stomach 
was past recovery ; as to the other, she pretended that 
she would soon be better. However, after a few more trials 
of the Psycodunamic operations, she said that she would 
be cured by it, without using any other remedy. The 
fact is, that her situation had considerably improved. The 
vomiting had ceased from the first day of the trial ; the 
palpitations of the heart and the fever had disappeared, 
and she began to eat. 

At the tenth trial, Dr. Husson desired the dunamiser to 
induce sleep without Miss Samson knowing it. In con- 
sequence of this, M. Dupotet consented to be locked up in 
a dark closet, which opened into the same room. The 
patient was introduced and requested to take a seat, which 
was only two feet from the closet where the dunamiser 
was hidden. They expressed in her presence their aston- 
ishment not to see M. Dupotet corning, and they concluded 
that probably he was detained and would not come that 
day. Dr. Husson let a pair of scissors that he had in his 



GENERAL HISTORY 



333 



hand fall on the floor, which was the signal agreed upon 
with M. Dupotet to begin the operation. In less than 
three minutes she was in a profound sleep. M. Dupotet 
came out of the closet and spoke to her as usual. Before 
awaking her he again went into the closet, and awoke her 
without either seeing her or being seen by her. The next 
day they repeated the experiment with the same success. 

On the thirteenth sitting, Dr. Recamier, who had asked 
to be admitted as a witness, agreed with M. Dupotet that 
he should begin his operation so soon as he should ask 
the patient if she could eat meat. The same precautions 
were resorted to, and M. Dupotet not making his appear- 
ance, Miss Samson begged leave to withdraw. Dr. Re- 
camier then put his question to her, and in about three 
minutes she was in the state of somnambulism. Dr. Re- 
camier pinched her with great force, shook her, opened 
her eyes, raised her from her seat, without her giving any 
sign of consciousness. At a given signal M. Dupotet 
awoke her, operating from the same hiding-place. 

Dr. Bertrand, who had witnessed the experiments, pre- 
tended that the presence of the operator was not neces- 
sary, and that Miss Samson would go into her somnam- 
bulic crisis by the sole effect of her imagination. To as- 
certain if this assertion was correct, M. Dupotet was re- 
quested to arrive the next day half an hour later. Miss 
Samson was sitting in the same arm-chair, at the same 
place, the usual questions were put to her, the same sig- 
nals were given, but no sleep was produced. M. Dupotet 
came in five minutes after ten, and in a few seconds pro- 
duced somnambulism. 

Nothing could be argued against this experiment ; it 
was absolutely conclusive. Still, M. Bertrand desired the 
trial of another, which in his opinion would render unques- 
tionable the existence of this occult power, independent 
of the patient and without the help of her imagination. It 



334 PSYCODUNAMY. 

was, that M. Dnpotet should come to the hospital at an 
hour of the night when every thing is quiet, and silently 
hide himself at the distance of one bed from the patient, 
and thence to operate without the possibility of her being 
aware of his presence. On the 10th of November this 
experiment was tried, with every possible precaution. M. 
Husson passed, without stopping at the bed of Miss Sam- 
son, and said to another patient farther on, " I came ex- 
pressly for you to-night ; you did not look well this morn- 
ing, and I wanted to know how you were ; you look much 
better, and I am much pleased to see it." He passed again 
before the bed of Miss Samson, and asked her negligently, 
" Are you asleep V — " Oh, no ! sir," said she, " I never 
sleep so soon." M. Husson added not a word, and went 
to another bed, from which he could perceive every thing 
without being seen himself. At precisely seven o'clock, 
M. Dupotet dunamised Miss Samson. After eight minutes 
she exclaimed, " Why ! how strange I feel ! I cannot keep 
my eyes open !" Two minutes later, M. Husson came to 
her, and asked her what was the matter ; she was already 
asleep, and did not answer. M. Dupotet also came and 
asked her, " When would you wake up if you were left 
alone in your actual sleep ?" She answered, " I would 
not awake before to-morrow at seven ; but it would hurt 
me." However, it was agreed that she should be left in 
that state. 

At eleven at night M. Husson called again. Miss Sam- 
son was in the same situation, not having moved. Dr. 
Robouam, the assistant physician of the room, visited her 
twice during the night ; and she was watched attentively 
all the time. She did not stir ; her respiration was long 
and deep, as during her somnambulic sleep ; the pulse was 
much accelerated. They pulled her hair; they pinched 
her ; they passed feathers under her nose and on her lips ; 
they tickled the soles of her feet ; but all without effect. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 335 

She awoke at seven o'clock as she had said, and without 
the slightest idea of what had transpired. 

The health of Miss Samson had improved very remark- 
ably, when Dr. Husson was removed from the Hdtel-Dieu 
to attend at the hospital La Piti€, and was succeeded in his 
former situation by Dr. GeorTroy. This gentleman con- 
sented at first to let M. Dupotet continue his experiments ; 
but the next day, the 18th of November, he let him know 
that he had received an injunction disallowing of any fur- 
ther Psycodunamic experiments. 

The suspension of this treatment proved very injurious 
to Miss Samson : that very day she again vomited her 
food, and in a short time her situation was as bad as ever. 
This poor unfortunate, who was nearly restored to health, 
seeing that she was again devoted to her old sufferings, 
cried bitterly ; when Dr. GeofFroy, moved with compas- 
sion, invited Dr. Robouam to resume the treatment with- 
out speaking about it, and as secretly as possible. On the 
29th of November, Dr. Robouam performed the operation, 
and succeeded as well as Baron Dupotet. The patient 
exhibited again the same phenomena — the vomiting stop- 
ped — the alarming symptoms vanished successively ; and 
on the 20th of January, 1821, she left the hospital in good 
health and spirits. 

Here is a list of the names of the doctors who witnessed 
the experiments and signed the minutes. Messrs. Bar- 
renton, Barrat, Bergeret, Bertrand, Boissat, Bourgery, 
Bouvier, Breschet, Bricheteau, Carquet, Crequi, Delens, 
Druet, Fomart, Gibert, Hubert, Husson, Jacquemin, Ker- 
garadec, Lapert, Leroux, Margue, Patissier, Robouam, 
Rossen, Rougier, Sabatier, Sanson, Solon, (Martin,) Tex- 
ier. 

Dr. Robouam, induced by his success with Miss Sam- 
son, tried some other experiments in the rooms attended 
by Dr. Recamier. Two patients proved to be somnambu- 



336 PSYCODUNAMY. 

lists. One of them was a man of thirty-six, named Starin,, 
who had a violent neuralgia. The other was a young girl 
named Lise Le Roy ; she had been affected with spasmo- 
dic vomitings for about a year. Dr. Recamier, anxious to 
ascertain the reality of their sleep, submitted both of them 
to the painful experiment of burning them with moxas. I 
will let M. Robouam report the case himself : 

" I do, by the present, certify that on the 6th of Janu- 
ary, 1821, Dr. Recamier, at the time of his daily visit to 
the patients of the room St. Magdalene, requested me to 
throw into somnambulism the patient named Starin, who 
occupied the bed No. 8. Dr. Recamier, previous to the 
request he made of me, had threatened the patient with 
burning him with a moxa, if he would pretend that he 
slept. Against the will of the patient, I, Robouam, indu- 
ced the sleep, during which Dr. Recamier himself, on the 
external and superior part of the right thigh, applied a moxa, 
which caused a burning one inch and a half in length by 
one inch in breadth. That Starin manifested no con- 
sciousness or sensibility, and his pulse presented no varia- 
tion. He began to feel the pain of the burning only after 
I had awoke him. 

(Signed) " Robouam. 

" Witnesses. — Rev. Mother St. Monique, nurse of the 
room ; Drs. Gibert, La Peyre, Bergeret, Carquet, and 
Truche." 

Two days after, Dr. Robouam consented to the trial of 
a similar experiment ; he relates it in the following terms : 

" I do, by the present, certify that on the 8th of January, 
1821, at the same request of Dr. Recamier, I produced the 
somnambulic sleep on Lise Le Roy, a patient who occu- 
pies the bed No. 23, in the room St. Agnes. She had 



GENERAL HISTORY. 337 

been threatened with being burned if she should pretend 
to sleep. Against the will of the patient, I caused her to 
sleep ; and during that state Dr. Gibert burnt under the 
nostrils a piece of agaric, the pungent smell of which did 
not affect the patient. Then Dr. Recamier himself ap- 
plied a moxa, which produced a burning three quarters of 
an inch by one inch and a quarter long. She remained 
perfectly unconscious, and exhibited not the slightest sign 
of sensibility. — That I then asked Dr. Recamier if he was 
convinced, and his answer was, ' No : but my skepticism 
is not so complete /' That she felt violently the pain so 
soon as I awoke her ; that I ceased then to operate on her, 
as requested by Dr. Recamier, and the consequence was, 
the immediate return of her constant vomitings, which for 
the last six weeks, as soon as I had begun the treatment, 
had stopped entirely. They could not be arrested by any 
of the means resorted to by Dr. Recamier, who, seeing 
that the patient was sinking rapidly, begged me at last, 
himself, to resume my proceedings, which were again fol- 
lowed by success. 

(Signed) " Robouam. 

" Witnesses. — The Rev. Mothers St. Sauveur and St. 
Eloy, nurses of the room ; Drs. Gibert, Grandieu, Cre- 
qui, &c." 

These two certificates, and the minutes of the experi- 
ments made in the presence of Dr. Husson, are deposited 
in the hands of M. Dubois, a notary public, Rue St. Marc- 
feydeau, at Paris, where everybody can ascertain their 
contents. 

The experiments at the Hotel-Dieu had proved the re- 
ality of a particular agent, entirely independent of the pa- 
tient's imagination. Those of La Salpetriire afford in- 
stances of the extraordinary phenomena of somnambulism, 
produced and tested by men who are an ornament to the 
29 



338 PSYCODUNAMY. 






medical science, and whose talents and integrity no per- 
son has yet dared to dispute. 

Dr. Margue was the first who, in the hospital La Sal- 
petriere, undertook Psycodunamic experiments ; he suc- 
ceeded in producing somnambulism on more than ten pa- 
tients. 

Dr. Georget, of the same hospital, had inserted in his 
work on madness the following passage : " So long as 
these magnetizers perform their experiments in the dark, 
with the aid of their abettors ; so long as they do not work 
their miracles before the Academy of Sciences, or the 
Faculty of Medicine, they will permit us to forego the 
trouble of refuting their reveries or their faith." But 
Georget's incredulity having been shaken by the experi- 
ments of the Hotel-Dieu, and by those of Dr. Margue, he 
examined with distrust what he at first rejected with dis- 
dain ; and six months after having written the preceding 
lines, he added, in a note, while his work was in the 
press, that he had since witnessed several phenomena, 
and that he had himself put to sleep several of his con- 
valescent patients, and caused them to speak, of which I 
shall present a very succinct analysis. 

When he put his somnambulists in communication with 
a sick person, they immediately experienced a pain, an 
uneasiness, and sometimes a sharp affection in the corre- 
sponding organs. It often happened that they were im- 
mediately attacked with epilepsy and hysterical fits, when 
they touched persons afflicted with these maladies just 
before the attacks came on. 

The first patient whom he dunamised, was a woman 
who became somnambulous, and in the midst of great 
agitation told him, that at a certain period she would be 
attacked by a serious disease, and die of it at such a day 
and such an hour. Georget, not then knowing any works 
in which facts of this kind were mentioned, and ignorant 



GENERAL HISTORY. 339 

that somnambulists could themselves dictate the means for 
counteracting previsions, believed it must of necessity be 
accomplished. Full of terror and grief, he hastened to 
awake her ; and, at the time indicated, she fell a victim to 
the disease she had foreseen. 

A somnambulist, who had an inflammation of the left 
lobe of the lungs, said she saw very well, and as if with 
her eyes, the organs of her chest ; and, in fact, gave a 
very remarkable description of them. The heart, said 
she, is enveloped by a membrane to which it does not ad- 
here ; it receives seven vessels, two of which, apparently 
the largest, are agitated by a peculiar movement. The 
disordered lobe appeared very red, resembling the liver in 
some parts, and presenting grayish spots in several others. 
The healthy lobe had a rosy appearance. In proportion 
as the inflammation diminished, she saw less and less 
clearly, and finally could not see at all. There was a re- 
lapse, and lucidity returned ; but it was limited to the dis- 
eased lobe, the other organs being no more seen. Georget 
observed several facts of the same kind. 

The therapeutic resources of his somnambulists pre- 
sented nothing very remarkable. They rarely employed 
any but those remedies which were daily made use of in 
their presence ; bleeding, leeches, baths, moxas, blisters, 
and a few potions. He always administered every thing 
they prescribed for themselves, and never had reason to repent 
of doing it. " It was curious," says he, " to see them, 
when awake, exclaim against their own prescriptions, 
while blisters or moxas were in preparation." One of 
them, however, caused eighteen or twenty moxas to be 
applied to herself, several setons or issues, and a great 
number of blisters, in the space of eighteen months. 

Georget could, at pleasure, deprive his somnambulists 
of sensation. The skin was totally insensible to the lively 
irritation of hot water deeply charged with ground mus- 



340 PSYCODUNAMY. 

tard-seed, and even to the burning of the moxa, — a burning 
and irritation which was extremely painful, when, by his 
will, the skin resumed its sensibility. 

He suspended the muscular power of his somnambulists 
with the same success, sometimes in one part, and some- 
times in another, and occasionally in all. One day he 
tried this power upon the respiratory muscles, and he pro- 
duced such an immobility of the thorax, and such danger 
of suffocation, as very much to alarm himself, and make 
him determine to attempt nothing of the kind again. He 
says that if one were to recall a patient from the somnam- 
bulic state, without having restored motion to the muscles, 
and their proper faculties to the senses, a paralysis of the 
muscles and sensation would continue. Nothing could 
equal the surprise and fright which such a phenomenon 
caused to a person who experienced it for the first time, 
whether it were the loss of hearing, of speech, or of mo- 
tion. " The most singular phenomenon, and the most 
worthy of attention," continues Georget, " relates to the 
foreknowledge of organic action, more or less distant in 
point of time. I have seen, positively seen, a great many 
times, somnambulists announce, several hours, several 
days, twenty days beforehand, the hour, the minute even, 
of the attack of epileptic and hysteric fits, and of the men- 
strual eruptions, indicating the duration and the intensity 
of the attacks ; things which were exactly verified." 

Six months after writing this article, he had observed 
many more new and extraordinary facts. He promised, 
in a note, to report an instance in the chapter on epilepsy ; 
but when, in his second volume, he traced the history of 
that disease, he added, that the reason which had made 
him defer the publication of these phenomena to the article 
on Psycodunamy, induced him to put it off to another pe- 
riod. He says, nevertheless, the person to whom he re- 
ferred, had displayed to him instances of prevision and 



GENERAL HISTORY. 341 

clairvoyance so astonishing, that he had never read any- 
thing so extraordinary in any work on Psycodunamy, not 
even in those of Petetin. 

This somnambulist, Petronilla, declared that a great 
fright would cure her. After she had been thrown into 
one, she assured her friends, while in somnambulism, that 
she was radically cured. In fact, she experienced no new 
attack during three months, while before she used to have 
two every day. 

The author of the " Cures Effected in France" M. Mi- 
alle, furnishes us with interesting particulars of Petronilla, 
(see vol. i. p. 259.) She had become an epileptic after a 
fright occasioned by her falling into the Canal de VOurcq. 
She prescribed for herself that she ought to be thrown 
into the water during the time of her catamenia ; and she 
indicated to Dr. Georget and the two other physicians, 
Drs. Londe and Metivie, who were to help him, how they 
were to act, and what they had to say previous to their 
doing so. A little before the operation was performed she 
was put into the somnambulic state ; and when every 
thing was prepared, at the very moment of awaking her, 
and before she could be completely restored to conscious- 
ness, Dr. Londe exclaimed, " Now, gentlemen, let us throw 
her into the water" And immediately, in spite of her re- 
sistance, she was plunged into a large bathing tub full of 
cold water. They kept her head forcibly under, till the 
time that she had herself prescribed had gone by. A 
nearly complete asphyxia was the consequence, and she 
was restored to life only by resorting to the ordinary means 
used in such cases. It was into the Canal de VOurcq that 
Petronilla had at first prescribed that she should be thrown ; 
but on account of the difficulties of this scheme, it had been 
abandoned. 

The same author relates that this patient one day said 
to Dr. Londe, one of the French physicians sent into Po- 

29* 



342 PSYCODUNAMY. 

land to observe the cholera, that in fifteen days he would 
have an affair of honor, and would be wounded. M. 
Londe consigned this fact to his memorandum, without at- 
taching importance to it, and he appeared to have forgot- 
ten it, when, fifteen days afterwards, he received a sword 
cut from the hand of one of his associates. 

Georget proposed to publish, at some future day, more 
in detail, if his time should permit him, the result of his 
observations ; he wished to recommence his experiments 
and give himself up wholly to new researches ; — " For I 
am persuaded," said he, " that great truths have escaped 
observers ; but, far from accusing them of exaggeration, I 
rather believe they have in their recitals kept below the 
reality. I believe, for example, that there is no perfect 
mode of treatment but that which somnambulists prescribe 
for themselves ; and that it is possible to render their ad- 
mirable instinct serviceable to others. In pleurisy every 
physician knows that bleeding is necessary, but he does 
not know the precise moment of the operation ; at what 
vein it ought to be done, and the exact quantity of blood it 
is necessary to draw, etc." 

Georget died at the commencement of a career so bril- 
liantly begun, in the midst of the labors he had sketched 
out for himself, and of his dreams of the future. All the 
physiological facts which he had observed with so much 
care, are probably lost to science ; for, since his death, no 
person has spoken of publishing the notes which he left. 
But he himself rendered, at last, a striking homage to the 
principles of Psycodunamy, by these words inserted in 
his will : " I will not finish this document without adding 
to it an important declaration. In 1821, in my work on 
the ' Physiology of the Nervous System,' I proudly pro- 
fessed materialism. The preceding year I had published 
a treatise on madness, in which are laid down principles 
contrary to, or at least ideas not in agreement with the 



GENERAL HISTORY. 343 

general belief, (pp. 48, 51, 52, 114;) and hardly had I 
published the ' Physiology of the Nervous System,' when 
new meditations upon a very extraordinary phenomenon, 
Somnambulism, would permit me no longer to doubt of the 
existence, in us and out of us, of an intelligent principle, 
altogether different from material existences. It is, if you 
please, the soul, and God. In regard to this matter, I have 
a profound conviction, founded upon facts which are not 
to be controverted. This declaration will not see the light, 
until no one can doubt its sincerity, or suspect my inten- 
tions. If I cannot publish it myself, I urgently entreat 
the persons who may take notice of it, at the opening of 
the present testament — that is to say, after my death — to 
give it all the publicity possible. March 1st, 1826." 

The celebrated Professor Broussais, principal physician 
of the hospital Le Vol de Grace, was little disposed to be- 
lieve the wonders of Psycodunamy, when his pupil, Dr. 
Frappart, induced him to call on Dr. Foissac, in order to 
ascertain some of the faculties that somnambulism devel- 
oped in the patient, Paul Villagrand ; mention of whom 
has been made in the report of the committee of the Royal 
Academy of Medicine, read by Dr. Husson on the 28th 
of June, 1831. (See p. 29.) Paul having been put to 
sleep, Dr. Frappart pressed down his eyelids, and Dr. 
Broussais took from his pocket a letter, which he gave to 
the somnambulist. Paul immediately read, " War De- 
partment — Sir," and the whole of the first line, without 
any embarrassment. Dr. Broussais was astonished ; he 
asked for pen and ink, and wrote three lines on a piece 
of paper. Paul read them instantly, although the eyelids 
continued to be kept shut by the application upon them of 
the fingers of Dr. Frappart. Dr. Foissac proposed to try 
some more experiments, but the skeptic avowed that he 
was perfectly satisfied and convinced ; that he could not 
any longer entertain even a shadow of doubt, and he asked 



344 PSYCODUNAMY. 

permission to preserve the lines he had written, as a 
monument of the victory won by P sycodunamy over his incre- 
dulity. 

Dr. Broussais immediately resolved to try experiments 
in his own hospital. Dr. Frappart had received from Dr. 
Foissac the proper instructions to operate successfully, 
and at the request of the professor he dunamised two pa- 
tients. One of them was an epileptic, who at the very 
first trial exhibited some remarkable phenomena. In a 
few days his lucidity increased, and the faculty of previ- 
sion, already noticed in several patients of the hospital La 
Salpetriere, became one of the principal features of his 
somnambulism. We will remark, that his disorder being 
the same as that of the somnambulist of Dr. Georget, he 
prescribed for himself nearly the same remedy that Petro- 
nilla had prescribed in her case. He foretold the return 
at a certain hour of an extremely violent attack, and said 
that five able-bodied men ought then to take hold of him, 
plunge him completely into a bath of ice-water, and keep 
his head under till the convulsions should cease, when 
they should apply to the calf of his leg a red-hot iron, and 
burn him fearlessly till he should scream. 

This prediction spread widely, and caused a number of 
persons to call to witness its fulfilment, and the result of 
the means prescribed. Every thing went on as the patient 
had foretold, and since that time no attack of his former 
disorder has ever troubled him, according to the testimony 
of Drs. Broussais and Frappart, who felt a lively interest 
in ascertaining the reality of the cure. Fifty persons, in- 
cluding all the physicians, the students in medicine, and 
the officers attached to the hospital of Vol de Grace, at- 
tested this event. 

To conclude the history of the experiments made in the 
public hospitals of Paris, I must now refer my readers to 
the report of M. Husson, (see p. 29,) in which are rela- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 345 

ted those that took place in the hospital La Charite, on 
Paul Villagrand and Pierre Cazot. To complete the in- 
struction to be derived from those experiments, I must 
mention the trial made by Professor Fouquier and Dr. 
Bertrand to ascertain the efficacy of dunamised water. 
Rose Touchard, one of the patients of the hospital in the 
rooms attended by Professor Fouquier, was dunamised by 
Dr. Bertrand. Her disorder was characterized by spas- 
modic vomitings, which the water prepared by her duna- 
miser could alone stop ; any other drink was immediately 
rejected. They substituted, without any possibility of her 
knowing it, ordinary water for that which had been duna- 
mised, and the vomitings reappeared immediately. To 
know if the imagination of the patient had any effect on 
the results, they gave her common water, which they pre- 
tended to have prepared, and again the vomitings were re- 
newed. Finally, they gave her dunamised water, without 
letting her know whether it was prepared or not, and the 
digestive functions resumed their regularity. 

In connection with the history of the Psycodunamic ex- 
periments made in the public hospitals of Paris, it will not 
be amiss to relate here the intolerant conduct of the ene- 
mies of our science. The public hospitals of Paris are 
under the general control of a board of directors, men un- 
doubtedly honorable in many respects, but absolutely 
strangers to medical science, and members of the religious 
Society of Jesus. It was the Duke de la Rochefoucault, 
president of this board, who forbade, in January, 1821, 
the continuation of the experiments on Miss Samson at 
the Hotel-Dieu. 

It may be seen in the " Physiology of the Nervous Sys- 
tem" that its author, Dr. Georget, makes no mention of 
the names of his somnambulists, nor of the place where he 
made his experiments, nor of the numerous witnesses, 
physicians and others, who were convinced like himself. 



346 PSYCODTJNAMY. 

" It is because," says he, " we live in an age when it is 
not permitted to avow our belief on this point," The true 
reason of his reserve and silence was the fear of displeas- 
ing those who had the administration of the hospitals, and 
had severely interdicted all essays of that nature. 

In November, 1826, the committee appointed by the 
Royal Academy of Medicine resolved to try experiments 
at the hospital La Salpetriere, where epileptics and maniacs 
are generally treated. Experience had proved that among 
those patients, not only the most remarkable cases of som- 
nambulism are to be found, but also the most unexpected 
cures are to be effected ; thus the members of the com- 
mittee were very sanguine in their expectations of satis- 
factory results from their researches in that quarter. But 
Dr. Magendie, one of the members, and physician of that 
hospital, refused to allow them to try any experiments be- 
fore asking the consent of the board of directors. It prov- 
ed of no avail to represent to him how ridiculous it was 
for physicians, whom public confidence had invested with 
the most important offices, to beg from persons ignorant 
of medicine, leave to adopt in their practice such or such 
medical doctrine, and to use such or such remedy ; that 
the true motives of the directors in passing the by-law 
which opposes the use of unknown remedies, was to pre- 
vent the mania of experimenting with dangerous substances ; 
and that, in that respect, he (Dr. Magendie) had himself 
in many cases slighted the injunction, more so perhaps than 
any other physician, — when, without leave, he made use 
of the most violent poisons, and when the benefits con- 
ferred on mankind by such trials had proved much more 
questionable than those of Psycodunamy, which, after all, 
was not an unknown remedy, and consequently could not 
be included in the general prohibition ; and consisting only 
in the use of slight frictions, made by a benevolent hand, 
could offer no dangers to be compared to those of strych- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 347 

nine, morphine, prussic acid, etc. Dr. Magendie felt of- 
fended ; he persisted in his determination, and has never 
since consented to witness any thing like Psycodunamic 
experiments. 

Dr. Fouquier, principal physician of the hospital La 
Charite, took the responsibility, and resolved to run the 
risk of displeasing the Board of Directors. Accordingly 
the patients, Paul Villagrand and Pierre Cazot, were ex- 
perimented upon as related in the report ; but, on the 13th 
of October, Dr. Fouquier received the following letter : 

" Sir, — The Board of Directors of the public hospitals 
of Paris have received information concerning the experi- 
ments on Magnetism, which take place in the hospital La 
Charite, under your superintendence. 

" They have caused their decision of the 19th of Octo- 
ber, 1825, to be read again. It is as follows : * It is for- 
bidden to all physicians and surgeons attached to the hos- 
pitals of Paris to try any experiment without a special au- 
thorization of the Board of Directors.' 

" I have been desired to send to you a copy of this de- 
cision, and the Board signifies to you their injunction of 
discontinuing immediately the experiments which you have 
improperly permitted. 

" I am, respectfully, etc. 

" Breton, Vice-President of the Board." 

The members of the Committee of the Royal Academy 
of Medicine resented this conduct, and protested loudly 
against the impropriety of this letter. They assembled at 
the house of their President, Dr. Bourdois de la Motte, on 
the 3d of December, and decided that a letter, in the name 
of the Royal Academy of Medicine, should be sent to the 
Board of Directors of the public hospitals, requesting them 
to grant the authorization, stating that so far, the results 



348 PSYCODUNAMY. 

obtained had proved decidedly beneficial, and that the in- 
terest of mankind at large, as well as the advancement of 
science, required the continuation of those experiments. 

They had no idea of the possibility of a refusal ; but, to 
their extreme surprise, on the 10th of December, they re- 
ceived the following letter : 

" To Dr. Bourdois de la Motte, Member of the Royal Academy 
of Medicine, and President of the Committee on Magnetism. 

" Sir, — The Board of Directors of the public hospitals 
of Paris took cognizance, at their last meeting, of the let- 
ter written by the members of the committee of which you 
are the President, and concerning some experiments on 
Magnetism undertaken without authorization in the hospital 
La Charite. 

" They carefully weighed the motives which dictated 
your letter, but they persisted in their determination not to 
allow experiments in the establishments under their con- 
trol, on a kind of treatment which long since has been the 
cause of discussions among scientific men. 

" In requesting me to transmit to you this decision, the 
Board of Directors invited me to express their regret for 
refusing to second the views of the enlightened physicians 
who compose your committee. 

" Very respectfully, etc. 

(Signed) "Valdruche." 

In America, — the land emphatically denominated the 
" patria" of Liberty, — instead of finding support against an 
odious despotism, will scientific liberty alone meet with 
oppression ? Will the trustees of the public institutions 
of this country imitate the deplorable fanaticism which 
blinded the members of the Board of Directors of the hos- 
pitals of Paris 1 At Rome, in the land where a short time 
ago it was not permitted to teach publicly that it is the 



GENERAL HISTORY. 349 

earth which revolves , and not the sun, we can easily conceive 
how a cardinal Oppizoni prohibited the practice of Psyco- 
dunamy ; but here, — where many important and useful 
discoveries have received in their practical application a 
development so creditable to American enterprise and ge- 
nius, — will Psycodunamy alone be an exception, and be 
allowed still to remain in the hands of the despicable tribe 
of wonder-mongers -? Will not persons distinguished for 
their rank in life, for their literary attainments, and for 
their reputation as medical men, divesting themselves of 
absurd prejudices, take it under their protection ? Will 
they not form among themselves a society, whose transac- 
tions shall be conducted upon a plan that will avoid every 
chance of fraud, and set forth in all its splendor the 
truth which will one day confer on mankind at large the 
most valuable benefits ? 

Such is my ardent wish ; such is my most sanguine 
expectation. It is the hope of seeing the dawn of the day 
when the rays of that light shall begin to shine, that in- 
duces me to remain in this my adopted country, where, 
perhaps, I shall reap the glory of having contributed my 
mite towards so fortunate an event. 

30 



350 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PSYCODUNAMY IN ENGLAND. 

Towards the end of 1785, Mesmer visited England ; 
but he met there with rather a cold reception. Except 
Lord Stanhope, whom he convinced of the importance of 
his doctrine, and who very hospitably received the Ger- 
man doctor, it may be truly said that he was considered 
there, by everybody, as a mere charlatan. Hence he 
made but a short stay among the English. 

One of the pupils of Mesmer, or rather of Dr. d'Eslon, 
Dr. de Maineduc, had been in England before Mesmer 
himself. He lectured there, and practised according to 
the principles of his masters, with enough success to re- 
alize £100,000 at Bristol, from the year 1778 to 1798, 
when he published a work in a quarto volume, in which 
he modified the doctrine of Mesmer, and made it still more 
obscure and incomprehensible. He found many opposers, 
particularly among the members of the clergy, who accu- 
sed him of blasphemy for asserting that his practice had 
been taught by our Saviour. 

At the same time, Perkins, a surgeon practising in Lon- 
don, invented and obtained a patent for his metallic trac- 
tors ; these were strong pieces of steel strongly magneti- 
zed, which were applied over the affected part, and gently 
moved about, touching the skin. Gout, rheumatism, palsy, 
and many other diseases, were cured by these tractors. 
Among the persons who publicly vouched for the truth of 
the wonderful cures, were eight university professors, four 
being professors of medicine ; twenty clergymen, ten be- 
ing doctors in divinity ; thirty-six medical men, nineteen 
being M. D.'s. The tractors, however, cost five guineas 



GENERAL HISTORY. 351 

a pair, and consequently were beyond the means of the 
poor ; and as Perkins was a Quaker, this sect subscribed a 
large sum and built the Perkinean Institute, in which all 
comers were operated upon free of cost. But the correct- 
ness of the remark of Mesmer, that the magnet was not 
the cause of the success, was soon demonstrated by Dr. 
Hajgarth, of Bath, and his friend, Mr. Richard Smith, of 
Brfstol. They tried publicly upon five hospital patients, 
some tractors made of wood, painted and shaped so as 
exactly to resemble the real ones. Four of those patients 
were affected with chronic rheumatism in the ankle, knee, 
wrists, and hip. The fifth had chronic gout. All were 
considerably and instantly relieved : one of them, who was 
previously unable to stir, felt his knee much warmer, and 
immediately walked across the room. The following day 
the real metallic tractors were applied with results pre- 
cisely similar. 

Since De Maineduc, the only work published on the 
same subject is by Mr. Baldwin, ex-consul of England at 
Alexandria, in Egypt. 

" When I returned to England," says he, in his preface, " I 
spoke to some friends of my resolution to publish the effects 
I had produced by using the means taught by Mesmer and 
D'Eslon. But all of them endeavored to deter me from it. 
' You will expose yourself,' said they, ' to public derision. 
There is in England a prejudice so strongly pronounced 
against this doctrine, that you will jind it impossible to over- 
come it? I feigned to yield to that advice, and remained, to 
all appearances, as indifferent or incredulous on this im- 
portant discovery as any of the learned men of my coun- 
try. But, in fact, I sought for the secret reason of not only 
their repugnance, but even the sort of fear that they enter- 
tained of that practice. I think I found it out, and this 
gives me the courage of submitting to the whole world 
the examination of this great truth." He speaks no more 






352 PSYCODUNAMY. 

on the subject, and leaves to the sagacity of his jeaders to 
guess at the cause. His endeavors to reconcile Psycodu- 
namy with the Holy Scriptures, prove that he was afraid 
to give offence to the Church of England. 

From 1801 to 1825, I have been unable to follow the 
progress of our subject in the three kingdoms. It is cer- 
tain, however, that some persons were devoting their time 
to the Psycodunamic practice, for, in the first volume of 
the "Hermes" (p. 358,) I find the following fact, which, 
on account of its being an instance of a somnambulist 
curing another person, I think proper to relate in full. 

" In 1825, Mr. Grandchamp, a dunamiser of some renown 
in London, was attending on Miss G** # , who, during her 
long Psycodunamic treatment, exhibited the most striking- 
phenomena of somnambulism. One day, being in that 
state, she rose suddenly from her seat, and ran into the 
next room, where several patients were assembled. She 
*went to a young girl who had just arrived in a distressing 
situation : she touched in succession the parts where the 
pains were more acute ; excited a considerable perspira- 
tion ; and advised the patient to go to bed, and not to fail 
to come again on the next day, warning her that indeed 
she would suffer much for thirty-six hours, but at the end 
of that time she would be perfectly cured. 

" The next day, at twelve o'clock, Miss G***, being in 
somnambulism, manifested great uneasiness, agitation, and 
impatience. ' What is the matter, Miss V inquired her 
dunamiser. — ' This girl of yesterday feels now excrucia- 
ting pains ; she cannot come, I must go there ; my action 
will save her.' — ■ How can we, Miss ? we know neither 
her name nor her residence.' — \ O, sir ! I will go ; I shall 
find her out.' The astonishment of the bystanders, among 
whom was his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, 
was greatly excited ; they were all of opinion that it was 
best to let Miss G*** do as she pleased. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



353 



11 She took her bonnet and veil, and went out ; being fol- 
lowed by many persons, whose curiosity and interest are 
easily conceived. She walked through several streets 
and stopped at a crossway, where she waited a moment, 
like a hound (if I may be allowed to use the expression) 
who tries to catch in the air the emanations that lead him 
to his game. She soon resumed her journey, and at last 
stopped, exclaiming, ' It is here.' She ascends to the 
second story, pushes abruptly a small door, and actually 
finds the girl lying on her bed. During half an hour she 
repeated her passes, which considerably eased the sufferer. 
She then dunamised a pitcher of water, and said, giving 
her a kiss and taking leave of her, ' Drink this, keep your 
bed, and to-morrow all will be over.' The prediction 
proved perfectly correct." 

In 1828 and 1829 the public and numerous experiments 
made by Mr. Chenevix in the Dublin and London hospitals, 
before some of the most eminent men in the medical pro- 
fession, excited no general interest, notwithstanding the 
astonishing results and conclusive evidence they afforded 
of the power of the agent. Dr. C. R. Hall, who has writ- 
ten a book against Psycodunamy, gives in the following 
manner the summary of those experiments. 

" Of one hundred and sixty-four patients, ninety-eight 
manifested undeniable effects, some in one minute, some 
not until the operation had been repeated several times. 
Relief was almost always obtained. He operated by passes 
— or by will alone, if he had acted on previous occasions on 
the patient in the more ordinary way. In one instance he 
elicited remarkable phenomena through a door, his pres- 
ence being unknown to the patient. His success in cu- 
ring epilepsy, palsy — in restoring a man pronounced by 
Dr. Cotter to be l far ***swo phy n consumption' — in cases 
of neuralgia, scrofula, that wjiir\vas witnessed by Sir B. 
Brodie, and Drs. Milligan, Prout, Holland, and Babington. 
30* 



354 PSYCODUNAMY. 

" In a trial made upon some privates in the Coldstream 
Guards, the first was not affected. The second was put 
to sleep ; his arm was raised as high as his head, then 
let suddenly fall, and yet he slept on. A bystander one 
day begged him to resist to the utmost his inclination to 
sleep. He did so, and succeeded ; but his eyes and nose 
watered much, and the inclination to sleep was so great, 
that he said, ' Had I but shut my eyes for one moment, I 
must have slept.' 

" One of the band, (Garrand,) after thirty minutes' opera- 
tion was sensible of no particular effect ; yet Mr. Chenevix 
touched his hand with his pencil-case, with the intention 
of producing, according to his own will, the sensation of 
heat or cold. The results of the first six experiments 
were perfectly satisfactory. Dr. Whimper tried the same 
experiment, with a similar result. Mr. Chenevix remarks, 
that if you repeat the experiment too often in the same 
sitting, and in rapid succession, the sensations become less 
and less distinct, and consequently the influence of the 
will less manifest, and finally null. 

" One day, when Garrand's eyes were most strictly blind- 
ed, he was desired to raise both his arms, and being ask- 
ed whether he felt any thing on either of them, he said, 
' No.' A piece of paper, weighing perhaps from one to 
two grains, was placed upon his right sleeve in such a 
manner, that it was impossible that he should feel it. He 
was again desired to raise both his arms, and was asked, 
'Do you feel any thing?' — ' Yes.'— ' What ?'— ' A stiff- 
ness and weight in my right arm.' The same experiment 
was tried upon his feet with similar success ; but with the 
same remark as in the previous circumstance, that is to 
say, that at each successive time, the stiffness and weight 
were less considerable, a^iVhness , 4, to be felt after six or 

to 

seven consecutive trials.' -r w fi re 3I 1 

The above narrative, coming from the source I have 



GENERAL HISTORY. 355 

mentioned, cannot be suspected of having received a favor- 
able coloring. 

I will ask any man who has devoted some attention to 
the study of physiology, if he knows any thing in the 
whole science more remarkable and more interesting than 
those phenomena, related and admitted as true by our op- 
ponents ? How could English physicians look upon them 
with indifference ? How could they refuse to devote some 
attention to the curative power of an agent which produced 
such evident results, while in their daily practice they 
constantly resort to means, the efficacy of which is far 
more questionable ? Could they, with such facts before 
their eyes, still persist in their national pride, which made 
them look upon the philosophers of all Europe who inves- 
tigated the matter as upon a set of fools, with the excep- 
tion of the English? Inconceivable as it may appear, 
they did ; and their stoical indifference towards Psycodu- 
namy has been highly praised by its opponents in the 
Royal Academy of Paris. 

In 1833, a learned barrister, Mr. Colquhoun, published 
the " Isis revelatay This is, by far, the best English 
work written on Psycodunamy. It would undoubtedly 
have carried more weight with it, if its author had been a 
medical man ; and this accounts, in a measure, for the 
fact that its first impression has been almost powerless ; 
yet when general attention had been drawn to the subject, 
his work was called for, and three editions of it have since 
appeared. I think it necessary to give some idea of the 
opinions of its author on Psycodunamy. 

Mr. Colquhoun seems to adopt the new theory of phys- 
ics taught by M. Chardel. According to this, the cause 
of life and motion is the same as that of light, heat, and 
electricity. There are two physical elements, matter and 
motion. " Matter is that which constitutes* the consist- 
ence of bodies. The rays of the sun unite with matter, 

% 



356 PSYCODUNAMY. 

and are the sole and ever active principle of motion. It 
is they which constitute the life of beings ; for life is the 
cause of organic motion in vegetables and animals. The 
motion of light is not the result of an impulsion, but of the 
mobility inherent in itself; for it is the elementary motion, 
and all impulsions depend upon it, more or less immedi- 
ately. Let any one examine the nature of the solar rays, 
and he will be convinced that they are motion in them- 
selves, and that heat is nothing else but the agitation they 
produce in bodies. The solar rays are the elementary 
motion. Light, heat, magnetism, electricity, galvanism, 
electro-magnetism, &c, result from the combination of the 
elementary motion with matter. Muscular contractility 
and excitability are phenomena of elasticity produced by 
the vital element in animals, which form it by individual- 
izing motion. It is always an internal power, generated 
by the union of the solar rays with matter ; for life is noth- 
ing else than this ; everywhere, by combining, they con- 
fer upon compound bodies their appropriate action. This 
is the secret of nature, &c." 

However, in 1837, Baron Dupotet made a visit to Lon- 
don, with the intention of propagating the Psycodunamic 
doctrine. His exertions at first proved unavailing. Yet 
he succeeded, after a while, in securing the patronage of 
Dr. Elliotson, who in conjunction with him performed a 
series of experiments upon patients in University College 
Hospital. M. Dupotet attracted then considerable public 
attention. At times his parlor was filled with the highest 
nobility of England. 

To give my readers an idea of the remarkable Psy- 
codunamic power of Baron Dupotet, I will relate one in- 
stance of it, that was witnessed by more than a hundred 
of the most respectable persons of London. In the month 
of May, 1838, Mr. Barke was present at a lecture deliv- 
ered by Baron Dupotet. He sneeringly provoked the 



GENERAL HISTORY. 357 

professor, openly expressing his complete disbelief of his 
power. Turning to his opponent, Baron Dupotet, at a 
distance of five paces, extended his hand towards him, and 
rooted him to the floor, stammering and vainly trying to 
speak or move. The face became flushed, the eyes bril- 
liant, and at a sudden change in the direction of the hand 
of the operator, Mr. Barke appeared to be violently at- 
tracted, and he fell prostrate, obeying a last motion of his 
dunamiser. It will not be amiss to remark that Baron 
Dupotet is a middle-sized man, rather slender ; while Mr. 
Barke is a tall, stout, and strongly-built man. 

Baron Dupotet, after relating the foregoing instance, 
makes the following remarks : " And how should the phe- 
nomena elicited under such circumstances be of a mild 
character ? You provoke by expressions of contempt a 
man who, conscious of his power, tells you that calmness 
of mind is necessary for a regular and salutary action ; 
you question his honesty and truthfulness. To conquer, 
becomes thus the only aim of the operator ; and to secure 
a victory more striking, he loses sight of a proper measure 
to confound his adversary." [Magnetisme oppose^ a la Mede- 
cine, p. 233.) 

In the year 1838, Dr. Elliotson witnessed very ex- 
traordinary effects in two young females, Jane and Eliz- 
abeth O'Key. Those effects were produced at first by 
ordinary passes, in the usual way ; but their susceptibility 
afterwards became extreme. Any object acted upon by 
the dunamiser would cause immediate results. Two dif- 
ferent states were induced by those means — first a species 
of coma, during which the patient was perfectly devoid of 
sensibility and consciousness ; and ecstatic delirium, when 
they became loquacious, obedient to the will of the opera- 
tor, and manifested the most wonderful phenomena. While 
in that state, the coma might be induced instantaneously, 
and thus the patients be rendered fixed and perfectly mo- 



358 PSYCODUNAMY. 

tionless, in whatever posture they happened to be at the 
instant. During the existence of the ecstatic delirium, 
which lasted for an indefinite time — once for twelve days 
— one of the O'Keys was an admirable mimic ; gave 
shrewd and witty, but sometimes extravagant answers to 
questions ; she could see with the back of her hand, pre- 
dicted the course of her own ailment, the means of cure, 
the death or recovery of other patients. Her predictions 

PROVED TO BE REMARKABLY CORRECT. 

However, one day, at the house of Mr. Wakeley, the 
experiments tried by Dr. Elliotson on the two O'Keys 
proved a complete failure. 

There was a great ado about it. The opponents of 
Psycodunamy lost sight at once of the many times in 
which the experiments were completely conclusive and 
satisfactory. They pretended that they were but skilful 
impostors, who had deceived Dr. Elliotson, whom they 
represented as a weak and credulous man, and abused 
without measure. His resignation as physician of the 
University College Hospital was the consequence of the 
sarcasms of his enemies. 

Nevertheless, Dr. Elliotson continued his investigations, 
and has since published, (in 1840,) in the appendix to his 
Physiology, a further account of the O'Keys. This ac- 
count demonstrates how illogical is a general conclusion 
drawn from one single instance ; and that a failure — even 
admitting one from an attempt on the part of somnambu- 
lists to deceive — is not a reason to pronounce that in all 
cases they are impostors ; it gives, on the contrary, a sal- 
utary warning to be careful and circumspect in the exami- 
nation of the phenomena. 

In 1841, a Frenchman, M. Lafontaine, made a tour 
through Great Britain, lecturing and exhibiting his som- 
nambulists in every town sufficiently large to remunerate 
him. The facts which he produced were so conclusive, 



GENERAL HISTORY. 359 

that even the most violent opponents could find no fault 
with him. He succeeded in directing very general atten- 
tion to the subject. Several scientific men, physicians, 
and reverend gentlemen, published successively the re- 
sults of their observations. We notice in particular : — 

Trials of Animal Magnetism on the brute Creation, 
by John Wilson, M. D. This work is certainly curious 
and interesting. It is to be desired that the experi- 
ments of Dr. Wilson should be repeated by other careful 
observers. The Psycodunamic power of man over the 
brute creation has long ago been admitted by philosophers, 
and its effects are sufficiently known and constant to have 
induced me to devote a chapter to this subject in my work 
on the Philosophy of Psycodunamy. 

In 1842, Lectures, by T. P. Catlow, Esq., reported at 
length in the " Manchester Guardian ;" and a paper, by 
the same, on the fallacy of Mesmero-Phrenology, in the 
" North of England Magazine." 

In 1843, Dr. Braid, a surgeon of Manchester, published 
his work on Hypnotism. Philosophical views and impor- 
tant facts are the characteristics of the work of Dr. Braid ; 
but although its author pretends that his discovery has no 
connection with Psycodunamy as previously known, it is 
evident that the means of inducing the phenomena consti- 
tute the only difference ; for the results, both physiological 
and curative, are identically the same. 

The Zoist, containing Dr. Elliotson's papers ; the 
Phreno-Magnet, edited by Spencer T. Hall, Esq. ; Animal 
Magnetism, by Edward Lee, Esq. ; Mesmerism, with re- 
ports of cases developed in Scotland, by Wm. Laney, Esq., 
appeared at the same time. 

The Facts in Mesmerism, by Rev. C. H. Townshend ; 
the Rationale of Magnetism, Animal and Mental, by Samuel 
Spurrel ; and Mesmerism and its Opponents, by Rev. Geo. 
Sandby, appeared in 1844. 

■ 



360 PSYCODUNAMY. 

Of these works, the most remarkable is that of Mr. 
Townshend ; the correctness of the principles and the 
philosophy laid down, announce a sound, intelligent, and 
truly superior mind. The following propositions are a 
summary of the inferences drawn by him from his experi- 
ments : — 

1. There exists throughout nature a pervading medium, 
elastic and vibratory, which may or may not be, under 
different modifications, the source of the phenomena of the 
imponderable agents generally ; and possibly is, in reality, 
electricity. 

2. This ether permeates the brain in common with all 
other matter. 

3. Every thought moves the brain in its own appropri- 
ate manner ; or, to suit the phrenologist, every thought 
proceeds from a certain special movement of cerebral mat- 
ter. 

4. This mental motion gives an impulse to the mes- 
meric ether within the brain, which is communicated to 
the mesmeric ether external to the body of the person 
originating it. 

5. Mesmerised persons, having their susceptibility ex- 
tremely exalted, are cognizant of the motions of this mes- 
meric medium, though in their ordinary state they would 
not be affected by them. 

6. Every thought having its special cerebral movement, 
the motions created by the thoughts of other persons be- 
ing transferred through the brain and through the mes- 
meric medium to the sensorium of a mesmerised person, 
are to him intelligible signs of thought ; a language which, 
though new to him at first, he, by a gradual process of as- 
sociation, gives meaning to and learns to comprehend. 

7. The nervous agency, or medium of sensation and 
motion, is identical with this mesmeric medium. 

8. Sensation is fundamentally an internal process of the 



GENERAL HISTORY. 361 

mind, to the production of which the organs of the senses 
are not essential ; similar ultimate motions of the nerves, 
however produced, being alone requisite to excite similar 
sensations. 

9. The mind can obtain information in two ways, — pas- 
sively, as when it receives notice of what is going on 
through the senses in the ordinary way ; actively, where 
it takes notice through any of the nerves, in the mesmeric 
way. In the latter case " the common process of sensa- 
tion seems reversed ; for the nerve appears to conduct the 
sentient power to the superficies, where it takes, as it 
were, the information it seeks, instead of, as usual, con- 
ducting the impulsion to the brain." 

In 1845, we notice the work of Dr. Newnham, Human 
Magnetism ; the Letters of Miss Martineau on Mesmerism ; 
and lastly, the production of Charles RadclyfTe Hall, M. D., 
yclept, " Mesmerism, its rise, progress, and mysteries, in 
all ages and countries, being a critical (satirical ?) inquiry 
into its assumed merits, and history of its mock marvels, 
hallucinations, and frauds. " 

It is curious to remark how this last author, after show- 
ing himself at the very outset so prodigal of injurious 
epithets towards the dunamisers, admits nevertheless as 
results : 1st, Incontestable — some cures ; 2d, Proved — ■ 
quietude, composure, sleep ; 3d, Probable — attraction, 
muscular rigidity, convulsions, heightened sensibility, di- 
minished sensibility, double consciousness ; 4th, Possible 
—insensibility to severe pain ; 5th, Impossible as far us 
any thing can be so — clairvoyance, intuition, prevision, etc. 
And lastly, immediately after such concessions, (p. 166,) 
he says, " I believe that there is not a shadow of evidence 
in support of the existence of any such influence or agen- 
cy, whether designated mesmeric, magnetic, occult, or 
by any other name." May we be allowed to ask Mr. 
Charles Radclyflfe Hall, M« D., how a nonentity can pro* 

31 



362 PSYCODUNAMY. 

duce any of the results that he confesses himself compelled 
to admit 1 

Before we leave the history of Psyeodimamy in Eng- 
land, it will not be amiss to relate here two instances of 
great surgical operations performed in that country during 
the Psycodunamic insensibility. The first case was read 
to the Royal Medical and Surgical Society of London on 
the 25th of October, 1842. The following is an extract 
from it : — 

" James Wombell, aged 42, a laboring man, of a calm 
and quiet temperament, had suffered for a period of about 
five years from a painful affection of the left knee, occa- 
sioned by ulceration arising from neglected inflammation, 
On the 21st of June he was admitted into the district hos- 
pital at Wellow, near Ollerton, no longer able to work, and 
suffering much pain. It was found that amputation of the 
leg above the knee joint was inevitable, and it was even- 
tually proposed that it should be performed, if possible, 
during the Psycodunamic sleep. 

" The patient was accordingly dunamised from the 9th of 
September to the 1st of October, when the insensibility 
appeared sufficiently induced to operate. Dr. S. Ward 
was then informed by Mr. Topham that he might perform 
the operation. The sleep being produced, Dr. Ward, -af- 
ter one earnest look at the man, slowly plunged his knife 
into the centre of the outer side of the patient's thigh, di- 
rectly to the bone, and then made a clear incision round 
the bone to the opposite point on the inside of the thigh. 
The stillness at this moment was something awful ; the 
calm respiration of the sleeping man alone was heard, for 
that of the spectators seemed suspended. In making the 
second incision, the position of the leg was found more 
inconvenient than it had appeared to be, and the operator 
could not proceed with his former facility. Soon after the 
second incision, a moaning was heard from the "patient, 






GENERAL HISTORY. 363 

which was repeated at intervals until the conclusion. Nev- 
ertheless, the sleep continued as profound as ever. The 
placid look of his countenance never changed for an in- 
stant — his whole frame rested uncontrolled, in perfect 
stillness and repose — not a muscle or nerve was seen to 
twitch. To the end of the operation, including the saw- 
ing of the bone, securing the arteries, and applying the 
bandages — occupying a period of twenty-five minutes — he 
lay like a statue. Soon after the limb was removed, his 
pulse becoming low from loss of blood, some brandy and 
water was poured into his throat, which he swallowed un- 
consciously. 

" Finally, when all was completed, and Wombell was 
about to be removed, his pulse being still found very low, 
some sal-volatile and water was administered to him ; it 
proved too strong and pungent, and he gradually and 
calmly arose. At first he uttered no exclamation, and for 
some moments seemed lost and bewildered ; but after 
looking around, he exclaimed, ( I bless the Lord, to find 
that it is all over !' Being asked to describe all he felt or 
knew during his sleep, he said, ' I never knew any thing 
or felt any pain at all ; I once felt as if I heard a kind of 
crunching, but would have still slept comfortably had I 
not been awakened by that strong stuff.' " 

Dr. Ward, in his statement three weeks after the op- 
eration, declares that the success had been complete ; the 
patient had not had a single bad symptom, none even of 
the nervous excitement so frequently observed after pain- 
ful operations. 

" Previously to this," says he, " I was a skeptic ; but 
now who can deny the effects and advantages of this mys- 
terious power, which deadens the sensibility to such an 
extent as to allow a surgical operation of the greatest 
magnitude to be performed on a live body as readily as 
upon a 'corpse?" - 






364 PSYCODTJNAMY. 

The second case was an amputation of the thigh, per- 
formed on Mary Ann Lakin, at Leicester, and published 
in the Leicester Mercury. " During the operation," says 
the correspondent, " as far as could be judged, there was 
an entire absence of pain. This was evinced by the 
countenance preserving throughout the greatest placidity, 
not a single motion of a muscle indicating sensation. On 
being awakened, the patient was not aware of what had 
taken place till informed by those in attendance." 

I will conclude this chapter with a few words upon a 
Psycodunamic faculty observed in Scotland, and known 
in that country by the name of " Second Sight." Johnson 
will not be a suspected authority. 

" The Second Sight," says the author of the Voyage to 
the Hebrides, " is either an impression given by the eyes 
on the mind, or by the mind on the eyes, by means of 
which distant or future objects are perceived and seen as 
if they were present. 

" This faculty is passive ; it is neither voluntary nor 
constant. These apparitions cannot be commanded, de- 
tained, or recalled ; the impression is sudden." 

The writer adds this very sensible reflection : " The 
faculty of Second Sight is wonderful, only because it is 
uncommon; for, considered in itself, it does not imply 
more difficulty than dreams, perhaps even no more than 
the regular exercise of our faculty of thinking." 

In speaking of the Second Sight in the Highlands of 
Scotland, the author of Human Magnetism (Dr. Newnham) 
says, " That it is a fact so well attested by so many au- 
thors worthy of credit, that notwithstanding its marvellous- 
ness, it is impossible to doubt it. With regard to this at- 
tribute of marvellousness, it is to be considered that it is 
contemporaneous and co-extensive with ignorance ; that 
it is to be found largely developed in men of limited un- 
derstanding, with whom every thing beyond their acquisi* 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



365 



tions is to them marvellous — that its power and influence 
are circumscribed by the extension of knowledge — that 
Jhe light of science dispels every day the mists of wonder 
— that that which is marvellous to-day, may cease to be so 
to-morrow ; and that therefore its indication is the igno- 
rance of inquirers, and not the want of stability or truth- 
fulness in the facts." 



31' 



366 PSYCODUNAMY. 



CHAPTER VII. 

PSYCODUNAMY IN THE UNITED STATES. 

It is not long since public attention in the United States 
was first called to Psycodunamy and the facts connected 
with it. Still it was known, or at least it had been heard 
of, even in the days of Washington. In the " Memoirs, 
Correspondence, and Manuscripts of Gen. Lafayette" pub- 
lished by his family, we read the following curious pas- 
sage in the broken English of the French warrior to the 
American hero : " A German doctor, named Mesmer, hav- 
ing made the greatest discovery upon Animal Magnetism, 
he has instructed scholars, among whom your humble ser- 
vant is called one of the most enthusiastic. I know as 
much as any conjurer ever did, which reminds me of our 
friend's, at Fishkill, interview with the devil, that made us 
laugh so much at his house ; and before I go, I will get 
leave to let you into the secret of Mesmer, which, you 
may depend upon, is a grand philosophical discovery." 

It is generally reported that the first public lectures on 
Psycodunamy delivered in the United States were at 
Pawtucket, R. I., in the fall and winter of 1836, by Charles 
Poyen de St. Sauveur, a French gentleman. But this is 
an error. x\nother French dunamiser, much more known as 
such in France than M. Poyen ever was, viz. M. Joseph Du 
Commun, now a teacher of the French language at the U. 
S. Military Academy of West Point, delivered lectures at 
New York, in July and August, 1829. He stated in those 
lectures, that on his arrival in the United States in 1815, 
he called upon two other persons whom he had known in 
Europe as having practised the new science ; they united 
in a society of which he was appointed president. But 



GENERAL HISTORY. 367 

slowly did the number of members increase, and they nev- 
er were over a dozen. Yet, small as was this society, 
they nevertheless diffused among the public some know- 
ledge of the object and importance of Psycodunamy, and 
remarkable cures were performed, often without even 
mentioning the name of the agency put in use. 

However, M. Poyen found in Miss Gleason, of Paw- 
tucket, a young lady of respectable family, a remarkable 
somnambulic subject, with whom he visited Boston and 
Lowell, and gave a series of practical lectures, which 
gained from among the most scientific and eminent per- 
sons in this country many converts to the doctrine. He 
likewise enabled many gentlemen, by his instructions, to 
become professional dunamisers. 

The city of Providence has afforded, perhaps more than 
any other place in the Union, evidences of the importance 
of Psycodunamy. The newspapers have been nearly a 
year making known the phenomena which transpired there ; 
and Thomas C. Hartshorn, a gentleman eminent for his 
learning, has collected, in his appendix to the translation 
of the work of Deleuze, several of those well-authenticated 
facts. The following are from his book : — 

" A child, about nine years of age, attending the school 
of Miss Snow in this city, (Providence,) was about a 
month ago, during an intermission, found to be asleep in 
the school-room. One of the young scholars came and 
gave information. Miss Snow and others tried to rouse 
her, but not succeeding, they became alarmed. A young 
medical student, a son of Commodore John Orde Creigh- 
ton, being called in, soon perceived that she was in a 
Psycodunamic sleep. A little girl about ten years old 
immediately burst into tears. It was evident that she 
(Jane Ball) had done it ; but she was so much terrified at 
the result of the mischief, that Miss Snow called her into 
another room, soothed her distress, and told her she need 






368 PSYCODUNAMY. 

not be frightened ; she had only to go to Anne, and ask 
her to wake up. This was done. She merely spoke to 
her, and she came out of the Psycodunamic state, with 
that smile upon her visage which is peculiar to those who 
are gently roused from it. The child had been, once be* 
fore, and only once, put into the somnambulic state. It 
was effected in about five minutes, by a lady Avho had 
never before tried her hand at this business. 

" An instance of the power of dunamising without ma- 
nipulation, and causing sleep at the first trial, is afforded in 
the case of a woman, who, being in a nervous state, was 
put to sleep for the first time by her husband, in the course 
of fifteen minutes, without her knowing his intention ; she 
sitting at one part of the room, and he in another. When 
she was asleep, he went into an adjoining room, out of her 
direct vision, and taking down a book, began to read it, 
After being some time in the Psycodunamic state, she was 
awakened. She related correctly what he had done, and 
evineed the usual proofs of clairvoyance. The gentleman 
is a resident of this city, a friend of mine, on whose ve- 
racity I can depend. 

" I learn these particulars from Mr. Benjamin Cozzens 
and Mr. Joseph 'Balch, Jr. 

" Dr. ***, of this city, informed me that one of his 
daughters, seven years of age, put her little sister, between 
two and three years of age, into a deep Psycodunamic 
sleep, so that her mother could not rouse her. Some time 
afterwards she was very eager to experience the effect 
again, and cried because she was not permitted to be du- 
namised. 

" An instance occurred of one boy's putting another into 
the same state, which was related to me by an eyewitness 
of the fact. It took place in this city." 

A very interesting case of clairvoyance was evinced by 
Miss Parker, who was one day dunamised by Dr. Brow- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 369 

nell, a very eminent physician, at Providence ; the de- 
scription of this case has appeared in many of the news- 
papers, and excited much interest. The particulars below 
are furnished by Dr. Brownell to Mr. Hartshorn. 

" The patient lived more than a quarter of a mile from 
my house. I requested a somnambulist, then at my house, 
to see if she could find such a man, at the same time 
pointing out to her the situation of the house, which was 
not in sight from the room where we continued all the 
time. She saw him. On being asked in what room, she 
replied, in the third room back from the street. She was 
then requested to describe the situation of the furniture in 
it, in order to discover whether she had got into the right 
place, and whether her clairvoyance might be trusted at 
that time ; she described it very exactly. 

" I then told her my patient had been sick a long time, 
and desired her to examine him and tell what the disease 
was. 

" She said, ' He looks so bad, I do not like to do it.' I 
replied, ' Never mind that ; it looks bad to you, because 
you have not been accustomed to looking at the interior 
of a body.' As I supposed him to be affected with a dis- 
eased liver, and with indigestion arising from a diseased 
state of the stomach, I asked her to look at the stomach, 
to see if that was diseased. She answered, ' No.' — ' Is 
the liver diseased V — ' No.' — ' Well, examine the whole in- 
testinal canal, and see if there is any disease there.' — ' I do 
not see any,' said she. ' Examine the kidneys.' — ' Nothing 
is the matter with them.' Not knowing what other part to 
call her attention to, I requested her to look at every part 
of him. After some little time, she says, ' His spleen is 
swelled ; it is enlarged.' — ' His spleen !' said I ; ' when 
we speak of a person who is spleeny, we suppose that he 
has an imaginary complaint. What do you mean V She 
said, ' The part called the spleen is enlarged.' — ' How do 



370 PSYCODTJNAMY. 

you know it is enlarged ?'-— ' It is a great deal larger than 
yours.' — ' Do you see mine V — ' Yes.' — ' How large is his 
spleen V — ' It is a great deal longer and thicker than your 
hand.' 

" I asked her to put her hand where the spleen is 
situated. She immediately placed her hand over the re- 
gion of the spleen. 

" I then conversed with her in relation to the other vis- 
cera ; and she gave a very correct description of them. I 
asked her if she had conversed upon the subject, or seen 
any plates of the internal organs. She declared she never 
had. 

" Seven days after this, the patient was taken more se- 
riously ill, and died on Saturday, the third day following. 
On Monday a post mortem examination took place. Eigh- 
teen persons were present, of whom sixteen were phy- 
sicians. 

" I then stated all the particulars of the examination by 
the somnambulic patient ; and requested the physicians to 
examine the body to see if they could discover the dis- 
eased spleen from external examination. They with one 
voice declared they could not. 

" I then opened the body, and, to the utter astonishment 
of the physicians present, found the spleen so enlarged as 
to weigh fifty-seven ounces. Its usual weight is from four 
to six ounces. No Other disease was perceptible." 

Two remarkable cases of clairvoyance were related 
by Col. Stone, in the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser, of 
the 4th of September, 1837 ; the Colonel was previously an 
unbeliever in the science, and how far he became a convert 
to the faith I leave the reader to judge from reading the 
following narrative from his pen : 

" Animal Magnetism. — We have had our time and times 
of laughing at Animal Magnetism. We shall laugh at it 
no more. There is something awfully mysterious in the 



GENERAL HISTORY. 371 

principle, beyond the power of man to fathom or explain. 
Being in Providence on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, 
the 26th, 27th, and 28th of August, an opportunity was af- 
forded us of seeing and taking part in a series of experi- 
ments, with a young blind lady, while under the magnetic 
influence, the results of which were not only marvellous 
in our eyes, but absolutely astounding. The exhibition 
was not public, and the parties were all people of the first 
respectability, professional and otherwise. Having heard 
much upon the subject, and disbelieved all, the experi- 
ments were made before a private circle of ladies and gen- 
tlemen, at our own urgent solicitation. 

" We have written a narrative of the circumstances, 
comprising some fifty or sixty pages of foolscap ; and we 
venture to say, that nothing hitherto published upon that 
subject is so wonderful, by far, as the facts of which we 
were witness — all of which we saw, and part of which we 
were. We shall publish our narrative, on taking it to 
Providence for examination, provided we can obtain per- 
mission of the parties — who have hitherto avoided publica- 
tions or public exhibitions. 

" One surprising incident we will mention. On Sunday, 
while we were in Providence, a small package was re- 
ceived from Mr. Stephen Covill, of Troy, containing, as 
he wrote to his friend, a note, which he wished Miss B. 
to read, while under the magnetic influence, without break- 
ing the seal, if she could. Mr. C. had been induced to try 
this experiment in consequence of having heard extraor- 
dinary performances of this kind — which, of course, he 
doubted. The package, or letter, was evidently composed 
of several envelopes. The outer one was composed of 
thick blue paper. On Sunday evening, Miss B., who it 
must be borne in mind, when awake, is blind, was put into 
a magnetic slumber, and the letter given to her with in- 
structions to read it. She said she would take it to bed 



372 PSYCODUNAMY. 

with her, and read it before morning. On Monday morn- 
ing, she gave the reading as follows : — 

" ' No other than the eye of Omnipotence can read this, 
in this envelopment — 1837.' " 

" We made a memorandum of this reading, and examined 
the package containing, as she said, the sentence. She 
said, then, on Monday morning, that there were one or 
two words between the word ' envelopment' and the date, 
as we understood her, which she could not make out. We 
examined the seal with the closest scrutiny. The seal of 
Mr. Covill was unbroken, and to turn the letter, or to read 
it without opening, with human eyes, was impossible. 

" After our return to the city, viz.. on Wednesday last, 
we addressed a letter to Mr. Covill, to ascertain whether 
the reading of the blind somnambulist was correct. The 
following is his reply :— 

" ' Troy, Sept. 1, 1837. 
" ' Dear Sir, — -Yours of yesterday I received by this 
morning's mail, and as to your inquiry relative to the pack- 
age submitted to Miss B. while under the magnetic influ- 
ence, I have to say, the package came to hand yesterday. 
The sentence had been written by a friend, and sealed by 
him at my request, and in such a manner as was supposed 
could not have been read by any human device, without 
breaking the seal. We think the seals have not been bro- 
ken until returned. The sentence as read by Miss B. is : 
1 No other than the eye of Omnipotence can read this, in 
this envelopment — 1837 ;' and as written in the original, 
on a card, and another card placed on the face of the wri- 
ting, and enclosed in a thick blue paper envelope, was : 
1 No other than the eyes of Omnipotence can read this sen- 
tence, in this envelope.' — Troy, N. York, August, 1837. 
" ' Respectfully, yours, etc. 
„ , " * Stephen Covill.' 



GENERAL HISTORY. 373 

" P. S. — We have just received a note from Providence, 
with permission to publish our own narrative. But as it 
is very long, and equally complex and wonderful, we shall 
first take it to Providence, for the examination of those 
who were present on the occasion, our aim being scrupu- 
lous exactness. We also left a note for the blind lady to 
read, sealed with seven seals. We have received it this 
morning, the seals unbroken, with the answer written on 
the outside. This answer is correct, as far as it goes. 
We were in great haste at the time of preparing the note, 
and having the odd title of a queer old book in our pocket, 
printed in small italic letter, we wrote a part of the note 
with a pencil, and stuck on two and a half lines of the 
small italic printing, with a wafer. The note, written and 
printed, as we left it, was in these words : — 

" ' The following is the title, equally quaint and amu- 
sing, of a book which was published in England, in the 
time of Oliver Cromwell : — Eggs of Charity layed by the 
Chickens of the Covenant, and boiled by the waters of Divine 
love. Take ye and eat.'' 

" The following is the answer sent by Miss B., through 
an intimate friend : — 

" ' The following is a title, equally amazing (or amusing) 
and quaint, of a book published in England in the time of 
Oliver Cromwell :' 

" ' Eggs of Charity.' — ' Miss B. does not know whether 
the word is amazing or amusing. Something is written 
after the ' Eggs of Charity? which she cannot make out.' 

" Thus much for the present. We make no comments. 
What we know to be true, we fear not to declare. Facts 
sustained by the evidence of our own senses, we trust we 
ever shall have the boldness to publish. In regard to our 
narration, it is alike wonderful and inexplicable. As 
Paulding's black witch in Konigsmarke says — ' I've seen 
what Fve seen — / know what I know.'' " 

32 



374 PSYCODUNAMT. 

This statement of Col. Stone drew upon him most vio- 
lent abuse from some persons. It excited in particular the 
satirical pen of Mr. C. F. Durant, who wrote a book on 
the subject,* in which the friends of scandalous reports 
and waggery have found a rich treat ; yet to pay him 
the justice due to everybody, even to our opponents, I will 
say that his work contains excellent precepts for detecting 
the imposition of would-be-somnambulists. But as Air. 
Durant represents all the persons who affirmed to have 
witnessed true Psycodunamic facts in Providence as so 
many fools and dupes, it will not be amiss to quote here 
on the subject part of a letter published in Air. Hartshorn's 
appendix, and directed to him by Rev. E. B. Hall, of 
Providence. 

" Dear Sir, — You wish me to write you something 
about my experience and opinions on the subject of Animal 
Magnetism. I have been unwilling to say any thing pub- 
licly about that of which I know so little ; and I should 
decline now, if my name had not already appeared in sev- 
eral journals without my permission, and in support of 
facts not correctly given. It was so in the reference to 
me which the appendix to your first number contained, 
afterwards quoted by Colonel Stone, although there was 
no exaggeration. A man's own opinion may be of little 
importance, but truth is of great importance on all sub- 
jects, and especially as to matters of observation and fact. 
I feel willing, therefore, and feel it to be due to others, to 
say in brief what I have seen and what I believe. 



* Exposition, or a new Theory of Animal Magnetism, with a key to 
the mysteries demonstrated by experiments with the most celebrated 
somnambulists in America : also strictures on Col. W. F. Stone's letter 
to Dr. A. Bingham : by C. F. Durant. New York, 1837 : ATjley and 
Putnam. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 375 

" The reality of that which is called x^nimal Magnetism 
is purely a question of fact. As such I view it, as such 
alone do I attach any importance to that which is said or 
done about it. Whether it be new or old — whether it 
agree with preconceived opinions, or oppose them all — 
whether the wise men in France of the last century, or 
those of the present, believe or disbelieve — whether the 
marvellous powers here supposed, if real, would do most 
good or evil — whether the ' possessed nuns,' the ' Salem 
witches,' and the ' old wives,' of all ages and both sexes, 
have not wrought as great wonders as the modern som- 
nambulists — are all questions of lively interest, it is true, 
and proper inquiry ; but utterly impotent, if not irrelevant, 
in settling a question of fact. Then, as to fears or hopes 
in regard to the truth of Animal Magnetism, I have neither. 
I have not the least solicitude that it should prove either 
true or false. I know it is either true or false, whether 
proved so or not — whether I believe or reject, or any man, 
or all men. If it be false, it will do no great harm — if 
true, it will do good ; for all truth is good, and does good. 
Its interference with any other truth, is an impossibility. 
It is not in the power of Animal Magnetism, or any thing 
else, known or unknown, to destroy one particle of truth 
in religion, or nature, or man. Truths are never destroyed. 
They are not of man — he can neither create nor annihilate 
the smallest of them. They are of God, and they are im- 
perishable. There is but one question and one investiga- 
tion, in this or any subject, that should awaken great 
anxiety or be deemed essential — What is truth ? 

" Now, in seeking the truth, in regard to Animal Mag- 
netism, there seems to me to have been too much credulity, 
a too easy faith, with many. The public at large are in- 
credulous, and they ought to be. Some of them, to be 
sure, are very weakly incredulous, from self-conceit, or 
obstinacy, or timidity, or blank ignorance. But many are 




376 PSYCODUNAMY. 

wisely incredulous. A healthy mind will never, as it can- 
not, believe that which is wholly strange, intrinsically im- 
probable, and not yet supported by evidence adapted to its 
nature, or proportioned to its magnitude. And much of 
the evidence offered in this case and relied on, is neither 
of the kind or degree that the case demands. I have seen 
many trials, where the truth of every thing was almost 
taken for granted ; and the men and women merely looked 
on with open mouths. Supposing the ' subject' was of 
course asleep, and insensible to all sounds and sights, 
they have openly said and done every thing, and then 
wondered that she knew it. This is singular folly. It is 
child's play. The true principle in testing such supposed 
wonders, is to take nothing for granted ; no, nothing. I 
go to the examinations without assuming a single fact in 
the case, but rather distrusting every thing until it is prov- 
ed. The whole matter is improbable ; that is to say, is 
opposed by all we have ever seen and all we know. I have 
a right, therefore, to institute the most rigid and suspicious 
scrutiny on every point. I will not believe, because the 
operator is an honest man, and the subject pure and true. 
That I do not dispute, and it is to be taken into the ac- 
count. But it does not of itself prove much in a case like 
this. The best men in the world may be deceived, and so 
may the wisest. Nay, such is human nature, that in cer- 
tain circumstances, the best and wisest may deceive others, 
however unintentionally. I will not believe even my own 
senses, in matters so unaccountable, until I have had fre- 
quent opportunities of examining. I hold that any thing 
w T hich is possible, is more probable than that a person 
should see without eyes, and travel without moving. I 
demand, therefore, for such facts, such evidence as it is 
not possible to evade or resist. So long as there can be 
any evasion or other explanation, my own mind will not 
receive the appearances as facts, whether others re- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 377 

ceive them or not, whether I wish to receive them or not. 
I distrust all appearances that may be feigned, or in 
which imagination may be the sole agent ; and the power 
of imagination is almost indefinite. I distrust all answers 
given to leading questions. A very great portion of the 
questions which I have heard put to supposed somnambu- 
lists, have been suggestive. I distrust all information giv- 
en, when that information could have been obtained, either 
from hints carelessly dropped in the room, or from person- 
al intercourse and previous knowledge of objects and 
places. To make out a case of actual clairvoyance, or of 
mental locomotion, there must be not only no probability, 
but no possibility of any of the above helps or explana- 
tions. Nor can I conceive of but one kind of proof of this 
particular power, so inconceivable and inexplicable. That 
proof is the consciousness of holding in one's mind a fact 
unknown to all others, proposing the inquiry ourselves in 
the most guarded manner, without any suggestion, or hint, 
or help of any kind, and then hearing a true and unequivo- 
cal answer. It is little to hear others ask questions, when 
you know not what communication there may have been 
previously. It is insufficient to be told even that letters 
were read through bandages and envelopes many, if you 
know nothing of the -actors, even if you believe their as- 
sertions. For letters have been read, by peculiar proces- 
ses, without being opened ; and letters have been opened 
and returned so well sealed, that the writer himself could 
not detect any appearance of change. So that while I 
disclaim all suspicion of foul play in the cases of this kind 
occurring here, I insist that they are not positive proof of 
the power of seeing through opaque substances, except 
where the letter is not for a moment lost sight of by the 
writer or operator. If it is not lost sight of, but openly 
read, and its contents correctly told, then is this also evi- 
dence of the highest kind ; supposing, as before, that the 
32* 



378 

writer is sure no one but himself knows what 
contains. 

" These things are said, not for their peculiar value, but 
in explanation of the kind of feeling and principles of evi- 
dence which many, in this place, have brought to this sub- 
ject. They show, that, so far at least, there has been no 
very great credulity or liability to be deceived. 

" If there are those who know not the difference be- 
tween inquirers and believers, or who think that the only 
wise ones are the scoffers, we must be excused from go- 
ing into any argument with them or about them. It is 
violating all probability and all common sense, to suppose 
that hundreds of men and women, of every profession and 
station, of unimpeachable veracity, and at least respect- 
able information, without any concert, compensation, or 
assignable motive, should engage in the same childish at- 
tempts at imposition, produce the same strange results, and 
in different places become operators or subjects on a large 
scale, for no earthly end but the pleasure of being duped. 
Then to crown the wisdom of such a supposition, it is only 
necessary to take a single case ; for instance, that of a 
young woman of good sense and character, feigning total 
blindness for a year or two before she hears of Animal 
Magnetism in order to be prepared for it, subjecting her- 
self to all manner of privations, denying herself the agree- 
able privilege of seeing, working, eating, walking, or doing 
any thing with comfort ; falling repeatedly, in this pre- 
tended blindness, so as to receive serious injury and re- 
main for weeks in severe pain and dangerous illness ; then 
all at once contriving, her eyes still closed and covered, 
to walk about easily and to see correctly ; not for her own 
comfort or gain, but only for the public entertainment or 
public suspicion ; her family, physicians, and friends at 
home, all the while asserting her actual blindness, and all 
with whom she lives being unable to detect in her a single 



GENERAL HISTORY. 379 

appearance of insincerity or even power of management ; 
yet all an imposition ! Believe it, who will. Find its 
parallel or explanation, if possible, in any case of witch- 
craft or delusion — or rather, imposition ; for it is important 
to distinguish. Delusion there may be, of some kind, in 
this very case, and every other ; but imposition there is 
not, if any evidence can be trusted, or any fact proved by 
testimony or observation. 

" This is the first result to which I am brought, viz., that 
there is no intentional deception in this matter. I do not 
say, that none who have ever engaged in Animal Magnet- 
ism have been deceivers, or that there has been no wilful 
deception in a single instance here. I mean simply that 
as a general, if not a universal fact, the circumstances of 
the case forbid a suspicion of fraud. Self-delusion there 
may be. But an attempt to delude others, any kind of 
collusion or imposition, artifice, management, humbug, 
there is no reason to suspect. Those only who exhibit 
themselves for money, give room for any such suspicion ; 
and they may not have been guilty. In the most remark- 
able cases we have had, in almost every case that I have 
seen or heard, there has been an utter absence of all 
ground for suspicion of motives. Nor have I known of 
more than one observer (Mr. Durant) who has imputed 
bad motives ; and he has given more evidence in his book 
of having practised, than of having detected, fraud. 

" A second conclusion to which I have come, in com- 
mon with most inquirers, is in favor of the reality of the 
magnetic sleep. This follows indeed from a belief in the 
honesty of those concerned. But it deserves notice as a 
conviction almost universal now, in the minds of those 
who have given any attention to the subject. There is no 
reason for the least doubt, that a peculiar sleep is produ- 
ced by certain manipulations, differing widely from com- 
mon sleep, accompanied often by a suspension of sensibil- 



380 PSYCODUNAMY. 

ity, and sometimes by a remarkable activity of mind and 
power of communication. So far as this constitutes Ani- 
mal Magnetism, I doubt if there are many informed minds, 
in this or any city, or any country, who doubt its reality. 

" I have seen evidence, at times, which in itself was ir- 
resistible ; facts which I defy any man to account for, on 
any known principles. But the powers themselves which 
these facts tend to prove, are so amazing, so utterly incom- 
prehensible and tremendous, that my mind demands more 
evidence, repeated in every variety of circumstance, and 
tested by all orders of men, before it will or can fully be- 
lieve. Then, too, there are so many failures made by eve- 
ry somnambulist, so many inequalities, inconsistencies, and 
perplexities, that it becomes the part of wisdom, if not of 
necessity, to suspend judgment, and wait for greater reve- 
lations. Inequalities, it is true, and failures, are no proof 
of the absence of the power. They belong to all states 
of mind, and occur often even in the natural sciences. 
They weigh something in favor of the honesty of the par- 
ties. And at all events, until we know what the power is, 
we have no right to prescribe laws or conditions, to say 
that it must always do this or never do that. We ought 
only to examine the more closely and widely on this ac- 
count, and draw inferences and pronounce judgments with 
extreme caution. 

" But there are the facts, you say — what will you do 
with them ? I can only say, I know not what to do with 
them. Facts they are, so far as I can discover. I have 
witnessed them, I have tried them severely, I have been 
compelled to admit them in some cases. The evidence 
has sometimes, in some few instances of my own observ- 
ing, been as high and complete as I can conceive. But 
the cases have not been sufficiently numerous and varied, 
the evidence not sufficiently tested, to sustain belief in 
such monstrous capacities. I will believe any thing, or, 



GENERAL HISTORY. 381 

more properly, I must believe any and every thing that is 
proved — whether I understand its nature or not, whether I 
can reconcile it or not with my preconceived notions. Its 
relations, its purpose, its uses, and consequences, I leave 
with Him who gives all power and ordains all truth. But 
it must be proved ; and the proof must be proportioned to 
the nature and magnitude of the thing to be established. 

" You may wish me to refer to some facts. It cannot 
be necessary, and I have already been too long. In the 
particular case with which my name has been connected, 
I had Miss B. wholly under my own control. I question- 
ed her about places and objects which she had never seen, 
and some of which, as they then existed, no creature but 
myself could have known. I proposed the questions in 
the most guarded manner. I had never been satisfied be- 
fore, and I did not expect to be then. But, if not satisfied, 
I was confounded. She described distant objects, whose 
position in some cases I had just changed, whose exist- 
ence in other cases I did not then know or believe, so 
truly, so wonderfully, that I could only marvel. At other 
times, she has done the same in regard to my own house, 
and houses in other towns and states. Then as to her 
power of seeing, (not taking her blindness for granted, 
though unquestionable,) I have tried it in various ways, 
and am convinced that she sees either by some other organ 
than the eye, or with such rays of light only as can pene- 
trate all substances, if there are any such. I have seen a 
sealed letter, containing a passage enclosed in lead, which 
letter she held at the side of her head not more than a 
moment, all in sight, then gave it back to the writer, and 
afterwards wrote what she had read in it — the letter was 
opened in my presence, and the two writings agreed in 
every word, there being two differences in spelling only. 
Of her power, or that of any somnambulist, to examine 
bodies and describe diseases in others, I have seen no 



382 PSYCODUNAMY. 

satisfactory proof. But one of our first physicians, who 
has published nothing on the subject, has recently told me 
of a case of his own, which is enough to silence, if not 
convince most skeptics, etc. 

" With great regard, 

"E. B. Hall." 

The " Facts on Mesmerism" published by Charles 
Caldwell, M. D., of Louisville, Ky., in 1842, is the only 
work on Psycodunamy written by a medical man in Ame- 
rica, so far as I have been able to ascertain. His pam- 
phlet, which contains many interesting and important nar- 
ratives, proves that he is an attentive and careful observer. 
I regret only that the usefulness of the practice, in a medi- 
cal point of view, has not more exclusively engaged his 
attention, and that his " Life of Mesmer" gives credit to 
the many errors and calumnies which his detractors have 
so industriously circulated to his prejudice. 

The most important publication, after the foregoing, is 
the " Magnet" a periodical devoted to Psycodunamy, and 
long under the direction of Rev. Mr. Laroy Sunderland. 
In it he gives the following propositions as the result of his 
investigations in the science of human life : 

1 . " That animal life is nothing more nor less than Mag- 
netism in an organized or modified form. The magnetic 
forces produce the conception and growth of the human 
system ; and their decay and separation from the body, re- 
sults in death. 

2. " That this life is generated between the brain and 
the semilunar plexus, or perhaps the solar plexus. 

3. " That from the brain vitality is distributed over the 
system, and different parts of that organ supply it for dif- 
ferent portions of the body ; so that every vital or physical 
organ and muscle is animated and controlled by a sepa- 
rate portion of the brain. , . 



GENERAL HISTORY. 383 

4. "The temperaments are fixed and determined by the 
predominance of the different magnetic forces. A pre- 
dominance of the negative forces makes one temperament, 
and the positive forces another ; and the combination of 
the different forces in the same person, and proportions of 
the forces in certain parts of the system, make a combina- 
tion of the different temperaments in the same person. 

5. " Derangement of the magnetic forces in the natural 
organs produces monomania, insanity, and madness. 

6. " Derangement of the cerebral organs which control 
the physical organs, produces disease ; and the derange- 
ment of the sympathetic points or poles in any other parts 
of the system, produces the same results, and affects the 
brain, more or less, in all cases. 

7. " All diseases may be controlled, more or less, by 
magnetizing the cerebral organs corresponding with the 
parts affected. Hence, as far as we have ascertained the 
location of the different cerebral organs which control the 
vital organs, we have found Magnetism to be a specific for 
recent diseases of every kind. 

8. " For nervous complaints, and diseases of the brain, 
such as monomania, insanity, and madness, Magnetism is 
a perfect cure, in recent cases where we can ascertain, 
with certainty, the different parts which have been affect- 
ed, and where there is no malformation or destruction of 
the organs. 

9. " Medicines have no effect in removing disease, ex- 
cept in so far as they produce the right kind of action upon 
the magnetic forces of the parts diseased. 

10. " Health, therefore, is that state of the system in 
which all its organs perform all their natural functions un- 
restrained, by a due proportion of the magnetic forces." 

Dr. Buchanan's lectures and experiments on what he 
calls Neurology, have created a great sensation in New 
York, Boston, and other places where he developed the 



384 PSYCODUNAMY. 

principles of his system. _ I give here his theory in his 
own words : 

" The science of Neurology is the whole science of 
man,. It expounds the functions of the brain, and proves 
that in these functions we may learn all his mental pow- 
ers, and all the laws of his physiology. It proves that the 
mind of man is a microcosm, in which we may discover 
indications of the laws and facts of external nature. 

" This science owes its origin to the discovery which I 
first publicly announced in the month of April, 1841. that 
the human brain could be excited and compelled to mani- 
fest the functions of its different convolutions. By pursu- 
ing this discovery, and exciting each convolution, so as to 
make its functions predominate over all others, (as, for in- 
stance, by exciting alimentiveness until hunger became 
uncontrollable,) I have succeeded in demonstrating the 
mental functions of the different organs, which in most 
respects are in harmony with the theory of Gall and 
Spurzheim, and in establishing the controlling power of 
the brain over the physiological phenomena of the body. 

" An intricate system of phrenology and physiology has 
been developed by my experiments, which might very 
properly be called Anthropology. But as this system has 
been developed by experiments upon the brain, and as the 
nervous substance of the body is the seat of its vital pow- 
ers, that science which expounds the human vital functions 
is merely the science of the nervous substance, and should 
therefore be called Neurology. 

" By the term nervous substance, I have especial refer- 
ence to the encephalon, which is the most important mass 
of nervous substance in the body. The study of its in- 
fluence gives us the whole science of man. The mind 
holds its communication with the physical world through 
the brain, which forms its connecting link with the body, 
and which transmits its volitions and its continual influ* 



GENERAL HISTORY. 385 

ence to the body. The body receives an infinite diversity 
of physiological powers or impulses from the brain, con- 
tinually modifying its circulation, secretions, respiration, 
colorifications, nutrition, health, disease, &c, as well as 
its muscular movements. 

" The brain, therefore, being the common theatre of 
physiology and psychology, is the place in which to study 
both. Take each of the convolutions and parts of convo- 
lutions — excite them to a manifestation of their functions, 
and we may learn the source of each faculty. Thus one 
portion of the brain, when excited, makes us benevolent, 
another selfish j another makes us laugh, another makes 
us weep ; another makes us violently angry, another 
makes us love the whole human race. Again, the physio- 
logical phenomena are equally distinct; one part of the 
brain makes us strong, another makes us weak; one 
makes us go to sleep, another makes us wide awake as 
soon as it is excited ; one makes us hot, another makes 
us cold ; one accelerates, and another retards the action 
of the bowels ; one accelerates, and another suppresses 
the respiration ; one developes, and another suppresses 
perspiration, &c, &c. Thus every physiological act of 
the system may be excited, arrested, or modified, by ex- 
citing the controlling organs in the brain. 

" The phenomena developed in the processes of Animal 
Magnetism, are thus traced to their physiological causes : 
somnolence, sleep, strength, paralysis, clairvoyance, sym- 
pathy, the volitionary power of the operator over the sub- 
ject, &c, are merely the display of certain faculties be- 
longing in various degrees to different individuals, accord- 
ing to their endowment of the organs whence these fac- 
ulties or tendencies arise. 

u All the Mesmeric conditions may be produced or con- 
trolled by direct operations upon the organs of the brain. 
These operations are not made by means of will or sym- 
33 






386 PSYCODUNAMY. 

pathy. They are as simple as possible ; too simple, in- 
deed, for that love of display and wonder which belongs 
to the unreflecting. No apparatus is necessary — no par- 
ticular state of body or mind-— no formal process or prepa- 
ration of any kind whatever. 

" It is only necessary that you find a person of impres- 
sible temperament, which is indicated generally by the 
largeness of the pupils of the eyes, and by a general deli- 
cacy or softness of the organization. 

" When you find such an individual, if you hold your 
hand near to his without touching, as by bringing the tips 
of your fingers near the palm of his hand, he will feel s 
slight sensation of coldness in less than one minute, which 
will be quite distinct as you move your fingers along to- 
wards the extremities of his without touching. He will 
also feel very peculiar effects if you touch each of your 
fingers to the corresponding finger of his hand. Each 
finger will give him a different impression. 

" Having thus ascertained his impressibility, place your 
fingers gently in contact with his temples, about one inch 
or one inch and a half horizontally behind the external 
angle of the brow on the temples, upon the spot marked 
in the Neurological diagram, Somnolence, and you will in 
a few minutes (five or ten) perceive a winking of the eye- 
lids, and a drowsy influence, which gradually increases 
until he cannot keep his eyes open. 

" By brushing off the excitement from the spot which 
you have touched, and placing your hand upon the upper 
part of the occiput, he will be restored. If he has fallen 
soundly asleep, it may be necessary to touch the organ of 
consciousness, which is exactly in the centre of the fore- 
head ; or the organ of vision, which is just at the lower 
part of the phrenological organ of color. 

" In this experiment you may on some persons produce 
unpleasant effects, from the excitement of the neighboring 



GENERAL HISTORY. 387 

organ of disease. These may be removed by dispersive 
frictions, touching the head very lightly. 

" If successful in this experiment you may then excite 
the other organs of the brain, and bring out all their func- 
tions in the same manner. Thus you may take the neuro- 
logical diagram, and verify every function which is located 
upon it, if you find a constitution sufficiently impressible 
to give striking manifestations. 

" The art of operating in this manner is extremely sim- 
ple. Any one may acquire it, and may use it to relieve pain 
or disease, by learning the principles of Neurology, which 
point out the proper organs to be excited for any specific 
result. This process, however, is not the principal aim 
of the science. It is applicable to a comparatively small 
number of persons. The experiments upon the human 
brain answer their great purpose by revealing the nature 
of man — the laws of physiology. 

" They furnish us a science competent to guide our 
moral, mental, and physical education. They give clear- 
ness to physiology — they make pathology and therapeutics 
intelligible, and they give us a new basis and a new phi- 
losophy for the science of medicine." 

Among the pamphlets published on the subject of Psy- 
codunamy, we must notice the " Treatise on Animal Mag- 
netism" by C. P. Johnson, Esq., in 1844. The constant 
exertions of this gentleman to propagate this science have 
proved very successful. His lectures and experiments in 
the principal cities of the Union have done much for the 
diffusion of the knowledge of it, and he succeeded in call- 
ing a general attention to the matter : the well-authentica- 
ted facts that are related in his work are particularly im- 
portant as affording evidence of the progress of Psycodu- 
namy in America. 

The following extract from Watson's " Annals of Phila- 
delphia" (p. 235, edition of 1830,) is connected too close- 



388 PSYCODUNAMY. 

ly with the history of Psycodunamy in the Tlnited States 
not to find a place here. 

" The good people of Caledonia have so long and exclu- 
sively engrossed the faculty of second sights that it may 
justly surprise many to learn that we also have been fa- 
vored with at least one case, as well attested as their own. 
I refer to the instance of Eli Yarnall, of Frankford. What- 
ever were his first peculiarities, he in time lost them. He 
fell into intemperate habits, became a wanderer, and died 
in Virginia, a young man. He was born in Bucks county, 
and, with his family, emigrated to the neighborhood of 
Pittsburg. There, when a child seven years old, he sud- 
denly burst into a fit of laughter in the house, saying he 
saw his father (then at a distance) running down the 
mountain side, trying to catch a jug of whiskey which he 
had let fall. He saw him overtake it. When the father 
came home, he confirmed the whole story, to the great 
surprise of all. The boy, after this, excited much wonder 
and talk in the neighborhood. Two or three years after 
this, the family was visited by Robert Verree, a public 
Friend, with other visiting Friends from Bucks county. 
I have heard, in a very direct manner, from those who 
heard Verree's narrative, that he, to try the lad, asked him 
various questions about circumstances then occurring at 
his own house, in Bucks county ; all of which he ascer- 
tained to have been really so at that precise time. Some 
of the things mentioned were these, viz. : ' I see your 
house is made partly of logs and partly of stone ; before 
the house is a pond, which is now let out ; in the porch 
sits a woman and a man with gray hairs ; in the house are 
several men,' etc. 

" When Verree returned home, he ascertained that his 
mill-pond before his house had been just let out, to catch 
muskrats ; that the man in the porch was his wife's bro- 
ther, Jonathan ; that the men in his house were the mow- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 359 

ers. who had all come in because of a shower of rain. In 
short, he said every iota was exactly realized. 

•• The habit of the boy, when he sought for such facts, 
was to sit down and hold his head downwards, his eyes 
often shut ; and after some waiting, he declared what he 
saw in his visions. He has been found abroad in the fields, 
sitting on a stump aud crying; on being asked the reason, 
he said he saw great destruction of human life by men in 
mutual combat. His descriptions answered exactly to sea 
fights and army battles, although he had never seen the 
sea, nor ships, nor cannon ; all of which he fully described 
as an actual looker-on. 

; - Some of the Friends who saw him became anxious 
for his future welfare, and. deeming him possessed of a 
peculiar gift and a good spirit, desired to have the bring- 
ing of him up. He was therefore committed to the mas- 
tery of Nathan Harper, engaged in the business of tan- 
ning, in Frankford. There he excited considerable con- 
versation ; and so many came to visit him as to be trouble- 
some to his master, who did what he could to discourage 
the calls. Questions, on his part, were therefore shun- 
ned as much as he could. He lost his faculty by degrees, 
and fell into loose company, which of itself prevented 
serious people from having any further wish to interrogate 
him. 

" To instance the kind of inquiries which were usually 
presented to him. it may be stated that wives, who had 
missed their husbands long, suppose by shipwreck, for 
instance, would go to him and inquire. He would tell 
them, it is said, of some still alive, what they were about, 
&c. Another case was — a man. for banter, went to him 
to inquire who stole his pocket-book ; and he was answer- 
ed, ' Xo one ; but you stole one out of a man's pocket 
when at the vendue' — and it was so. 

•' His mother would not allow him 'to divine for money,' 
33* 



390 



PSYCODUNAMY. 



lest he should thereby lose the gift, which she deemed 
heavenly-derived. 

" These are strange things. I give these facts as I 
heard them." 

In America, as well as in England, surgical operations 
have, by Psycodunamic proceedings, been divested of the 
pain with which they are usually attended. Among the 
many instances recorded we find venesection, extraction 
of teeth, insertion of setons and issues, removal of tumors, 
and amputation of a limb. 

The editor of the " Bangor Courier" relates that this 
last operation was performed on Luther Carey, whose 
leg from infancy had been deformed, causing him much 
pain and inconvenience. Dr. Deare is the person who 
put the patient to sleep, and Dr. Hosea Rich, assisted by 
several other gentlemen, amputated the leg. 

" During the operation," says the Courier, " the patient 
complained of a sensation in the bottom of his foot as 
though some one was pricking it ; and at one time, for a 
brief period, he appeared to be rousing from the state of 
insensibility, and half conscious that the operation had 
commenced ; but he was soon thrown more fully into that 
state, and seemed quite unconscious of what was going 
on ; entering into conversation respecting the operation, 
and proposing that it be postponed until the next week, 
&c, and insisting, even after the leg was amputated, that 
he would not have it done until it was fully paralyzed, at 
the same time expressing some doubt whether the Doctor 
would be able to accomplish this. After the operation 
had been performed, and the limb dressed, Mr. Carey was 
put in his bed, being still in the somnambulic state ; and 
his surprise, when roused from it, to hear that the opera- 
tion was done, caused him to ascertain the fact rapidly, 
and then he cried out in great glee, i Good ! I am glad 
the old leg is off!'" 



GENERAL HISTORY. 391 

Dr. Robertson, a physician of Augusta, Georgia, makes 
the following statement : — 

" I was called to visit a son of Mr. Spears of this city, 
who, I was informed, had received a severe injury of the 
elbow joint from falling. It was supposed to be a fracture 
or dislocation. The lad was between twelve and thirteen 
years of age. When I saw him he was suffering excru- 
ciating pain ; the joint was very much swollen, particularly 
about the internal condyle of the humerus. He could not 
suffer the slightest motion without crying out with pain, 
and the arm could only be moved by being supported in 
the uninjured hand. I made several attempts to make the 
necessary examination to ascertain the state of the injured 
joint, but all efforts were fruitless, so intense and insup- 
portable was the agony whenever I touched or handled, 
the extremity. I finally told the boy, in a jocular manner, 
if he did not hold still and let me examine his arm, I 
would have him Mesmerized. His father replied, that he 
had done it on the previous evening. I then requested 
him to do it again. After considerable hesitation he com- 
menced, and in thirty minutes the magnetic sleep was 
completed. I then took hold of the injured arm, and ex- 
amined it in every way, to satisfy myself that it was nei- 
ther a fracture, nor a dislocation, but a severe contusion 
of the whole joint, with considerable extravasation of blood. 
A satisfactory examination in such cases, as every surgeon 
well knows, must require the arm to be turned and twisted 
in various directions, before the diagnosis can be relied 
upon ; but during the whole examination he exhibited no 
symptoms of pain, or consciousness whatever. I then, 
placed the usual bandage upon the injured joint, without 
disturbing the patient in the slightest degree. When, 
aroused, he was perfectly astonished that his arm was 
bandaged, and immediately placed the limb in the uninjur- 
ed hand as before." 



39£ PSYCODUNAMY. 

Since the above took place, a surgical operation of 
greater importance has been performed in the same city ; 
it is the successful extirpation of a cancerous breast during 
the Psycodunamic sleep, in which no sign of consciousness 
was exhibited by the patient ; Mr. W. Kendrick being the 
dunamiser, and Dr. F. Dugass the operating surgeon. 

The extirpation of a tumor on the neck was performed 
in this city in 1844, during the Psycodunamic sleep, by a 
doctor of the faculty of Paris, M. Boudinier, who was at 
the same time the dnnamiser and the operating surgeon. 
This operation, witnessed by the most eminent physicians 
of this place, proved that the sensibility had been so com- 
pletely abolished, as to compel the most skeptical to con- 
fess that the slightest indication of it could not be detected 
in the patient. 

The New York Herald, of the 11th of April, 184©, 
contains the following relation of a case similar to the op* 
eration performed by Dr. Boudinier : — 

" Surgical Operation on a Mesmeric Patient. — We, in 
company with a number of other persons, among whom 
were several medical gentlemen, yesterday were witness 
to a surgical operation performed on a patient while in the 
mesmeric state, which, to say the least, entirely puzzled 
us. The patient was a colored servant-girl, named Em» 
eline Brown, about 33 years of age, who has been living 
in the family of Rev. Dr. Higbee. She has been, for 
some time past, afflicted with a large tumor upon her back, 
immediately under the left shoulder blade, and has tried 
various remedies to cure it. She at last concluded to 
have it cut out, and for that purpose called on Dr. Ho- 
mer Bostwick, of this city. Dr. Bostwiek, who has 
always been skeptical upon the subject of Magnetism, 
thought this might be a good case to test it, and called 
upon Mr. Oltz, a magnetic practitioner, living near him, 
Mr. Oltz, after seeing the girl, expressed perfect conii- 



GENERAL HISTORY. 393 

dence in his power to place her in the magnetic state, so 
that the operation could be performed without the patient's 
experiencing any pain. Mr. Oltz commenced magnetizing 
her ; and succeeded in putting her asleep, the first time, 
in half an hour. Between that time, which was last 
Wednesday, and yesterday, when the operation was per- 
formed, he had magnetized her five times. The operation 
was performed at No. 142 Church-street, about four o'clock. 
Mr. Oltz, assisted by Mr. E. J. Pike, commenced in the 
usual manner to magnetize her about half-past three, and 
by four o'clock the girl was sound asleep, and apparently 
insensible. There were, at this time, about a dozen per- 
sons in the room. Mr. Oltz now said the patient was 
ready, and left the room, leaving Mr. Pike holding the 
hand of the girl, with one hand upon her forehead. The 
girl, before being magnetized, was sitting in a chair with 
her head lying forward upon a pillow on a table. The 
upper part of the dress was removed, and Dr. Bostwick, 
putting on his apron, and taking his instruments, prepared 
to commence. He first made a longitudinal incision, eight 
inches in length, through the flesh over the tumor, and 
then commenced cutting round it. When the knife was 
first put in, we were watching the face of the girl closely, 
expecting to see her start, and hear her scream ; but there 
was not the slightest motion. She lay as still and motion- 
less as a marble statue. Not a quivering of the lip or of 
the eye-lid could we observe. Dr. Bostwick, assisted by 
Dr. Childs and Dr. Stearns, continued cutting away upon 
the tumor, and in three minutes it was taken out ; there 
being, during the whole time, no motion on the part of the 
girl. During the whole operation, Mr. Pike sat near the 
patient with his hand upon her head. Several physicians 
examined the pulse, and said it was apparently in a natu- 
ral state. Dr. Bostwick then, with a large darning needle, 
sewed up the incision, there still being no motion of mus- 



394 PSYCODUNAMY. 

cle or nerve on the part of the patient. After placing ad- 
hesive plaster upon the incision, and bandaging it, Mr. 
Oltz was called in to wake up the girl. This he did by 
making passes over her face ; and upon waking, she was 
told that the operation had not been performed, and that 
she must now have it done. This was done to see wheth- 
er she would know any thing about it. ' Well,' she said, 
' she was sorry, but she wanted it taken out.' ' Do you feel 
no pain V asked Dr. Bostwick. ' None,' said the girl. 
'Have you felt none?' 'None,' was the answer again. 
She was then shown the tumor, and seemed to be very 
glad to see it out. It was an adipose tumor, and weighed 
ten ounces. We then left the house extremely puzzled. 
The persons present who witnessed the operation, were 
Dr. Homer Bostwick, Dr. John Stearns, Dr. Samuel R. 
Childs, Dr. Eleazer Parmly, Dr. Sherwood, E. J. Pike, 
W. H. Stinemets, E. L. Fancher, M. G. Hart, Oliver 
Johnson, John R. S. Van Yleit, and Edward Gould Buf- 
fum. The time from which the operation was first com- 
menced, till she was awakened, was just thirty minutes." 
It was in March, 1844, that I began my course of lec- 
tures, on Psycodunamy, in New York. A correspondent 
of the Tribune gives the following account of what tran- 
spired at one of my experimental sittings. (See Tribune, 
9th of April, 1844.) 

" Psycodunamy. — Wonderful Facts. 

" To the Editor of the Tribune :— 

" The facts that I am about to relate are so extraordi- 
nary, that few persons, perhaps, will credit them ; but as I 
swear to them as an eye-witness, I do not hesitate to pro- 
claim their truth, and if you judge them worthy of public 
attention, I authorize you, in publishing them, to give my 
name if necessary. 

f I have always been more than skeptical on what is 



GENERAL HISTORY. 395 

called Mesmerism or Animal Magnetism. I had, hereto- 
fore, suspected deception, when the parties interested 
were unknown to me ; or illusion and credulity, if the 
veracity of the persons could not be questioned. But, in 
spite of myself, I must confess that conviction has been 
forced upon me, after what took place on Thursday last, 
the 4th instant, at Dr. T. Leger's rooms. 

" A week previous I was, with several friends, present 
at a private lecture which that gentleman delivered on the 
science that he calls Psycodunamy. I was indeed not a 
little puzzled to witness experiments which prove the 
sight without the use of the eyes, and particularly to hear 
a somnambulist giving a correct description of the diseases 
of persons who were present, and could neither be expect- 
ed to have called, or their maladies be known in advance. 
Still, these singular phenomena of clairvoyance and in- 
tuition have been recorded already in many books written 
on the matter, while the experiments of Thursday last ex- 
ceeded any thing I ever heard, and I do not believe that 
similar facts have been related before. 

" The Doctor had announced that he would try to im- 
part, by the sole power of his will, to a person in the Psy- 
codunamic sleep, any thought, sentiment, or passion that 
the audience would write on a piece of paper, and elicit 
the mimical, spoken, and musical expression of it, although 
preserving himself the most profound silence, and without 
touching, or communicating in any physical way with the 
somnambulist. 

" About forty highly respectable persons of this city 
met at the appointed time, in the rooms of the Doctor, No. 
74 Broadway, to witness the experiments that I will now 
succinctly relate without farther comment. 

" As soon as the Psycodunamic sleep was produced, the 
audience agreed to write on a slip of paper, ' Love of chil- 
dren? and to give it to the Doctor. He appeared to com- 



396 PSYCoDUNAinr. 

pose himself for a short while ; then, extending his hands 
towards his patient, keeping them at a distance, in a com- 
manding manner, without uttering any word or sound. 
Several minutes elapsed without any perceivable effect, 
when slowly and by degrees the somnambulist began to 
raise her arms ; she crossed them over her breast, as if 
pressing fondly to her bosom a fancied babe, and imitating 
all the motions of a nurse who caresses her infant. The 
features of the Doctor assumed a sterner aspect, and a 
short while after she opened her mouth, and said, in a low 
but perfectly audible voice, 'Don't speak! he wants to 
sleep V and she rocked gently her imagined child, singing 
in an under-tone, ' Bayou babe, babe, baye] &c. 

" You can easily suppose the general astonishment. 
But it was nothing in comparison to what happened" imme- 
diately after. Scarcely had the Doctor, by a few motions 
of his hands, at a distance, calmed his subject, than 
s Love of God — Veneration? had been written on another 
slip of paper and handed to the Doctor. This time his si- 
lent exertions remained longer without effect. Neverthe- 
less, a kind of electric commotion appeared to shake the 
patient ; she joined her hands, bent down her head, and 
seemed lost in a profound and pious meditation. A few 
minutes after, she turned her head upwards, and her lips 
moved as if uttering a fervent prayer ; then again, as if 
yielding to a superior force, she opened her mouth and 
pronounced in a very emphatic manner a piece of poetry, 
the first line of which, if I am correct, was : — 

' The Church assumes her weeds of mourning now? &c. 

She remained a while as if lost in deep thought, during 
which the Doctor's mental energy was evidently increas- 
ing. Though he preserved the same distance, he seemed 
by a peculiar motion of his hands to compel her to kneel 
down, and when in that situation he kept them above her 



GENERAL HISTORY. 397 

head. Then she sang, with a voice remarkably sweet and 
impressive, the hymn, 

1 O thou to whom all creatures bow,'' &c. 

" Shortly after, at a new motion of the Doctor, she rose 
and sat down, her head fell on her breast, and she appear- 
ed to sleep again, soundly and quietly ; while the Doctor, 
evidently exhausted, and wet all over with perspiration, 
fell himself on his seat, but in a few seconds resumed his 
self-possession. 

" Not a word had been uttered ; the audience was struck 
with a kind of stupor. In the same silent way we then 
desired the Doctor to excite ' Sorrow.' 

11 He renewed his exertions, which for a still longer 
time remained unanswered. At last the patient became 
agitated ; she sighed, she appeared despondent ; she 
clasped her hands, sobbed, and tears fell along her evi- 
dently suffering features. The Doctor always mentally 
willed her to speak, and she exclaimed in great anguish, 
1 O my dear mother ! why have I lost you ! I am now 
alone ! yes, alone in the world !' and her cries and sobs 
smothered her voice. 

" The emotion and sympathy of the audience was ex- 
treme. 

" But soon the Doctor, by a gentle motion of his hand, 
always at a distance and without uttering a sound, suc- 
ceeded in calming her ; then, as if he wished her to open 
her mouth, he moved his hand before her lips, and shortly 
after, with an expression of feeling that I could not 
describe, she sang the song entitled, ' The Old Arm- 
chair.' 

" Some persons will believe, perhaps, that the patient 
could see the motions and gestures of the Doctor, and be 
guided by them ; but, alas ! this last entrenchment is not 
even left to the skeptic ; the patient is a stone-blind or- 

34 



398 PSYCODUNAMY. 

phan, well known as bom blind, and educated at the Insti- 
tution for the Blind of this very city. 

" If Dr. L. could affect only one person, — if his won- 
derful power could take effect on this subject alone, we 
would, perhaps, refuse to believe our own senses, and sus- 
pect, although we could not detect it, that we have been, 
nevertheless, deceived by some skilful delusion. But sev- 
eral other persons have obeyed in the same manner, and 
nearly as fully as the blind orphan, the mental commands 
of the Doctor. I have, myself, been compelled to move 
my limbs as he wished in spite of my exertions to the con- 
trary. 

" Should this extraordinary power be used by him only 
to elicit those singular results, it would indeed deserve al- 
ready the attention of the scientific and the philosopher, 
as illustrative of some of the most interesting points of 
Psychology. But the importance of it increases consider- 
ably when we ascertain its influence as a means of curing 
diseases. The fact is, that many persons of high and very 
respectable standing in this city have been either com- 
pletely cured or greatly relieved from affections of the 

most desperate character. So Miss B P , the 

sister of one of our best writers of the day, was laboring 
under a malady of the spine for the last ten years ; she is 
now cured, after about nine weeks of Psycodunamic treat- 
ment. Miss E H , whose mind was deranged for 

the last seven years, is now completely restored to society. 

Miss El T , who had been declared by eminent 

physicians to be hopelessly consumptive, found the resto- 
ration of her health under the influence of five weeks of 

Psycodunamic process. Mr. T N , who had a 

liver complaint that had baffled the skill of some of our 
best practitioners, found a perfect relief after three weeks 
of Psj^codunamic attendance. In a word, many other pa- 
tients, present at the lectures of the Doctor, gave the most 



GENERAL HISTORY. 399 

satisfactory account of the relief that they have experi- 
enced under his astonishing means of practice. This is 
unquestionably the most useful part of Psycodunamy, and 
the one which ought to call the attention of physicians, as 
well as that of the public at large. 

" I am, very respectfully, yours, 

" F G B****** " 

Since the time mentioned in the above letter I have ex- 
clusively devoted my attention, in the city of New York, 
to the treatment of diseases by Psycodunamic process. In 
the period of thirty-two months, four hundred and forty-five 
patients have been examined for their maladies by my blind 
somnambulist : twenty-five persons only were previously 
known either to me or to her. All the others were perfect 
strangers to both. In three hundred and ninety-seven in- 
stances she completely described the anatomical disorders 
and pathological symptoms of the patient submitted to her 
examination. In each of the latter cases, the accuracy 
and correctness of her statements elicited the amazement 
of not only the patients themselves, but the physicians, 
who in many instances accompanied them. In sixteen 
cases only, her description, although correct in what she 
stated, appeared incomplete and insufficient to fully satisfy 
the persons examined ; and lastly, in seven cases she de- 
clared herself unable to ascertain the disorder, and conse- 
quently refused to make any examination. 

Examination of persons previously known ... 25 

Complete and satisfactory examinations of strangers 397 

Incomplete or insufficient examinations .... 16 

Refusals to examine 7 

Total 445 

Out of that number three hundred and forty patients 
have followed a regular course of Psycodunamic treat- 



400 PSYCODUNAMY. 

merit. Their cases, with hardly a single exception, had 
been considered hopeless ; for among such persons alone 
are to be found those willing to leave the trodden path of 
common routine. The results were nevertheless very- 
satisfactory and conclusive, viz. : 

Cures complete and without relapse 231 

Evident relief more or less durable 81 

No perceptible change 27 

Death during the treatment 1 

Total 340 

The most remarkable and satisfactory cures proved to 
be in cases of scrofulous affections, diseases and curva- 
tures of the spine, first and second stages of consumption, 
scrofulous ulcers and tumors, white swellings, dyspepsia 
and diseases of the liver, rheumatism and neuralgia, para- 
lysis, deafness, amaurosis, epilepsy, monomania, &c. 

A complete history of the particulars of each case will 
be found in my work on the Philosophy of the Psycodu- 
namic Practice. 






GENERAL HISTORY. 401 



CONCLUSION 



When we reflect on the various Psycodunamic phenom- 
ena which, at all times and in all countries, have manifest- 
ed themselves in some known circumstances, we are struck 
at the importance and singularity, as well as the uniformi- 
ty, of the principal features of the results. But, in the 
present time, the facts themselves appear to me less won- 
derful than the blind obstinacy of those who persist in de- 
nying them. 

However, to dwell here on their characteristics, classi- 
fication, and differences, would be to exceed the end which 
I had in view in writing this volume. On those points, I 
must refer my reader to my other work on Psycodunamy, 
in which the study of the circumstances necessary to the 
production of the phenomena, and a philosophical inquiry 
into their nature and cause, will prove to have been the 
special objects of my researches. 

But, setting aside entirely the part which may seem the 
most miraculous, and is consequently the most contested, 
and considering the subject under a medical point of view 
only, we are compelled to admit, by the number and im- 
portance of the cures performed, that the Psycodunamic 
proceedings, as a therapeutical agent, possess a power far 
superior to that of any other remedy ; for, while specialty 
in results or in functional action is the assumed qualifica- 
tion of the latter, generality of action and diversity in func- 
tional results evidently belong to the former. 

As a summary explanation of the grounds upon which 
stands the pre-eminence of the Psycodunamic treatment, 
I will merely remark that all physicians, from the remotest 
antiquity down to the present time, have acknowledged the 

34* 



402 PSYCODUNAMY. 

existence, in the human economy, of a special force, 
which, during life, is always at work to preserve us against 
the causes of destruction, and which contrives to expel 
from the system all morbific principles. Hippocrates, Tan 
Helmont, Stahl, and Sydenham admitted that this force is 
intelligent ; while others, such as Hoffmann, Robert Boyle, 
&c, pretended that it is only mechanical and blind. But, 
be that as it may, this force does actually exist, and prac- 
tice proves that Psycodunamic proceedings restore and in- 
crease the languid or dormant energy of this preserva- 
tive force ; and in the art of regulating this action lies 
all the secret of our success. 

Let any candid physician compare the results of his 
practice with those that I have just related, and which are 
by no means more favorable than the results obtained by 
Mesmer, D'Eslon, De Puysegur, Deleuze, &c, and agree 
particularly with those of Dr. Wolfart in the large hospital 
conducted at Berlin on the Psycodunamic doctrine ; let 
him weigh conscientiously the reasons which had induced 
him to adopt such or such method, and consider with im- 
partiality the merits of the new path which we invite him 
to follow : and I venture the assertion, that such an inves- 
tigation will not fail to make him a convert to our cause ; 
he will discard his prejudices — proclaim the truth we ad- 
vocate — practise on the same principles— mankind will 
be benefited, and God will prepare his reward. 



the end. 



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